All That Glitters
by alayahchanel
Summary: When being in the spotlight becomes too much, Rachel Berry escapes to her hometown where she finds solace in her old friend, Puck. After dealing with the drama of being famous, she hoped to stay away from any kind of drama while being home. Single father Puck hasn't seen his best friend in years and just might be the very thing to blow the idea of no drama out of the water.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! Here is my new story. Enjoy!**

 **Plot: When being in the spotlight becomes too much, Rachel Berry escapes to her hometown where she finds solace in her old friend, Puck. After dealing with the drama of being famous, she hoped to stay away from any kind of drama while being home. Single father Puck hasn't seen his best friend in years and just might be the very thing to blow the idea of no drama out of the water.**

Chapter 1

"Rachel have you lost your mind?" Marley asked as she watched her sister quickly pack her clothes in two suitcases. "You can't just up and disappear on people."

"Why can't I? I have my own private jet which means I can go anywhere anytime I please. And it's not like I'm disappearing on everyone. You know where I'm going."

"That's great and everything but I still don't think this is a good idea. You're Rachel Berry, the biggest pop sensation out right now. And what about Brody's premiere tonight? You can't just skip it, he's going to freak out."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "If we're being honest I could care less about Brody throwing a tantrum because he wasn't put first for once in his life. He didn't even come to my concert for kids with cancer so I think we'd be even."

"I don't get it, if Brody is a shit boyfriend then why are you still with him?"

"You know why," she answered, not wanting to get into it. "But anyway, this should be the last of it."

Before Marley could respond, Rachel looked at the security cameras and saw Brody's car approaching the gate. She cursed under her breath while quickly hiding the suitcases. The last thing she needed was Brody finding her packing to leave. It wasn't like she was packing to move out of the house she shared with him but she knew he wouldn't see it that way.

She covered the suitcases with the clothes from her closet before hearing the door open from downstairs.

"Rachel, you here?" she heard him call.

"Yeah hang on," she replied before going downstairs to meet him.

When he saw her, he smiled and went to hug her. "There's my girl. These past few days felt like forever without you."

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Rachel gave a fake smile. "The feeling's mutual. But I thought you were going to go straight to the premiere tonight?"

Brody shrugged. "I wanted to come home and have one on one time with my gorgeous girlfriend."

Before Rachel could say anything, Marley came downstairs. "Oh hey Brody. How was your trip?"

"Much needed. Hanging out with the guys was exactly what I needed after the stress of making the movie was over. Now I can relax with Rachel," he said, putting his arm around her.

After an awkward silence, Marley nodded. "Yeah well I'm going to get out of here, I'll see you later Rach."

As soon as Marley was gone, Brody leaned in and kissed Rachel. "I think I deserve a proper welcome home, don't you think?"

She nodded, trying not to look disappointed. Of course Brody wouldn't even bother asking what she had been up to and went straight to sex. Not that it was surprising, he was usually all about himself anyway but Rachel was hoping that he would give her some sort of sign that she didn't have to take this trip. That her life hadn't become something that she never wanted for herself. Sure she reached her goal in becoming a singer but her personal life has become something she never envisioned and she wasn't happy about it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel sighed as she stood next to Brody on the red carpet later that night. While everyone asked him questions, she stood there, trying not to take any of the attention off of him. By being so famous and having numerous number one hit songs and albums, Rachel has become a force to be reckoned with and Brody was always a little sensitive when people didn't think his success measured up. To make him feel better, she always tried to dim her light to make his shine brighter when they were together.

"So Brody are there any wedding bells in you and Rachel's future?" one reporter asked.

He glanced at Rachel before answering. "Well I'm not sure yet but you never know. Who wouldn't want to marry a woman like this?"

Another reporter looked at Rachel. "What do you think Rachel? Do you see any wedding dresses in your future?"

The thought of being with someone like Brody for the rest of her life repulsed Rachel but she had to act the opposite so she gave a smile. "Like Brody said you never know. We certainly have a few things we need to work on so I guess we'll have to wait and see."

The reporters tried to ask more questions but Brody led Rachel away before glaring at her. "We have a few things we need to work on? What the hell, Rachel? You made us sound like we're on the brink of breaking up."

"That's not what I meant," she argued. "I was just saying, marriage shouldn't be rushed and we still have a lot going on before we should even consider marriage."

"You just love embarrassing me don't you? When something's not about you, you just to ruin it like you always do. You're so selfish."

"Selfish? Me? You're the one who just waltzes back into town and doesn't even bother asking how I've been."

"We'll talk about this later," he said as he looked around and remembered where they were. "Let's go," he grabbed her hand and as they walked inside, Rachel frowned. This was clearly going to be a long night for her.

When they got back home that evening, all Rachel wanted to do was go to sleep and get on her jet the next morning so she could get some time away from everything. But as they entered the gate, she sighed when she saw her mother's car out front. She really didn't want to deal with her and Brody at the same time.

As she walked inside the house, Shelby hugged her. "Here's my superstar."

"Mom what are you doing here? And how many times have I asked you not to come when I'm not here?"

"Honey please, you know it's not like I would steal anything from you," she replied, waving her off. As Brody walked by, clearly still upset about earlier, Shelby looked back at her daughter. "What's his problem? Did something happen?"

"We just had a fight at the premiere."

"Oh no, sweetheart you two are doing a joint interview tomorrow morning where you'll talking about how happy you are to be with such a successful actor. You need to fix this."

Rachel stared at her. "I didn't do anything wrong. Why do you assume I caused the problem?"

"Well it doesn't take a genius to see that you're not as into him as he's into you. And for the sake of your career, you have to get it together. Your fans love the relationship between you two, I mean you're a power couple. Who would want to give that up?"

"Mom I-"

"Great so I'll meet you at the TV station tomorrow morning around seven? Be sure to look your best. Love you," she said, kissing Rachel's cheek before walking out.

The last thing Rachel wanted was to make things right with Brody when he started everything and she especially didn't want to go to some interview where all they're going to question her about is their relationship. She needed to get away from all of this for a while. To avoid this interview, she was going to have to leave before anyone was up. Hopefully she'd make it out.

 **Next chapter we'll see what Puck is up to. Let me know what you think so far. Bye for now :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

Puck woke up to his doorbell being rung numerous times. At first he was going to ignore the person but when he realized they weren't going away, he groaned before getting up and going downstairs.

When he opened the door, he smiled when he saw who it was. "Hey munchkin."

"Hi Daddy," his daughter, Beth, smiled back as she came in with a bag. "Sorry about the doorbell, Mom wanted me to keep ringing it."

"Because it was the only way he would actually get up," Quinn said, walking in right behind Beth. "Sweetie go take that bag upstairs."

As Beth went upstairs, Puck looked at Quinn confused. "What's with the bag?"

"Beth's staying with you for the week remember?" Puck stared at her, clearly not remembering. She rolled her eyes in frustration. "Sam and I are going to Cancun for vacation. You know, the one that we were going to take Beth on but you insisted on having us leave her with you."

"Oh right," he nodded. "That vacation."

"Honestly I don't see what the problem was with her coming with us. It's far better than anything you could do with her here."

"Maybe because I actually want to spend time with my kid. You rarely ever let her stay with me for longer than one night so of course I would want her with me for the week."

"Did you ever think that maybe I don't let her stay with you because you have different women running through here on a daily basis? I don't want my daughter around that."

"Our daughter," he corrected. "And for your information, I haven't had any female company for the past few days."

"Like that's an accomplishment," she scoffed. "Look, I don't have time to fight with you. Sam is waiting in the car so we can go to the airport."

"Oh how is the ken doll doing? Still shoving balls in his mouth?"

"Ha ha very funny. Could you actually not bash him around Beth? Sam is important to her and I don't want her coming home and repeating any of your insults."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Oh give me a break, Beth is nine not two. She's past that phase of repeating everything she hears."

Before Quinn could respond, Sam walked in. "Hey I don't mean to rush you but we have to get going if we're going to make our flight."

"Right. Beth!" she called. When Beth came downstairs, Quinn hugged her. "Be good. And if anything happens, you know my number. We can always just have Grandma come get you and you can stay with her until we come back."

"Seriously Quinn?" Puck asked, having enough of Quinn criticizing his parenting skills.

"I'm just saying it's an option"

Beth hugged Sam. "Bye Sam."

"See you when we get back," he replied before pulling away.

As they walked out, Quinn turned back to Puck. "Please keep our daughter alive."

"Goodbye Quinn," he said, practically pushing her out the door. When they were finally gone, he turned back to Beth. "Be honest with me. Would you have rather gone on the trip with your mom and Sam?"

"Not really. They would've spent it either being gross or fighting."

"Fighting?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah they fight a lot lately. Mom always gets upset about something Sam does and then she just explodes."

"I'm all too familiar with your mom's random explosions. But neither of them take their anger out on you, right? They're not hurting you are they?"

She quickly shook her head. "No. Most of the time they just leave and slam doors."

Puck wasn't happy that Quinn was allowing all these arguments to happen with Beth around and he made a mental note to confront her about this when she came back. "Well for this week, you won't have to worry about any of that. We're going to have some fun."

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

Remembering his surprise he recently bought, he smiled. "Well I actually have a surprise for you. Follow me." He led Beth outside to a shed in the back of the house. "So remember when you were little and you always loved riding on my four wheeler with me?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Puck opened the shed, revealing a smaller, pink four wheeler. "Well I figured I'd get you your very own."

Beth jumped up in excitement before running over to it. "Really? This is mine?"

"All yours. You can ride it whenever you come over and maybe we can ride together."

She ran back over to him to hug him. "Thank you so much. I promise I'll take good care of it. I'll keep it clean and everything."

Puck laughed at her eagerness before helping her get on the bike. As she started riding around the backyard, he smiled to himself. He loved giving her surprises like this. Whenever Beth was with him, he tried doing girly things with her but eventually he learned that she loved riding four wheelers and that became one of her favorite things to do whenever she came over. It made him happy that he was able to buy her something that brought her so much joy.

After a few hours of riding the bike, Puck had Beth come inside to eat lunch. As he made sandwiches, the doorbell rang.

"Can I get it?" Beth asked.

"Yeah go ahead. Look out the window first."

She went and looked to see who it was before eagerly opening the door. "Hi Finn."

"Hey Beth," he smiled, hugging her. "Where's your dad?"

"In the kitchen making us sandwiches," she said, taking his hand and leading him to the kitchen.

Puck turned to Finn. "Hey what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to make sure you remember my celebration at the bar tonight for my promotion."

He cursed to himself. "Yeah I remember but as you can see, I'm on daddy-duty for the week which I completely forgot about."

"Why not let Santana babysit?" he suggested. "You know she loves Beth."

"And you know that Quinn hasn't wanted Santana to babysit since Beth went back to her, saying curse words in Spanish."

Finn laughed, remembering the incident. "Oh come on, she was six. I thought it was hilarious."

"Yeah so did I but Quinn didn't." He went over to Beth, who was drawing at the table, and gave her the sandwich. "Munchkin could you take this into the living room so I can talk to Finn alone?"

"Okay," she nodded before getting up and going to sit in the living room.

Puck turned back to Finn and talked quietly so Beth wouldn't hear. "Look Quinn's been giving me a lot shit lately about my parenting and I'm trying not to do anything that would piss her off enough to try to go for full custody."

"I thought she stopped threatening you with that?"

"We got into a pretty heated fight a few weeks ago about her not letting Beth stay over during the week and she just said I should be grateful that I even get her on the weekends when she has enough reasons to file for full custody. Ever since, I've been on edge about everything. I don't want to give her more reasons."

Finn frowned. "That sucks dude. I can't believe she'd try to take Beth away from you."

"Apparently the human size ken doll is a much better role model than her own father," he sighed. He hated that Quinn made him feel like a shitty dad even when he knew he was doing the best he could.

"Don't worry about him and don't worry about tonight. We'll save you a drink."

"Thanks," he gave a grateful smile before taking a bite of his sandwich. He was disappointed that he couldn't go out with his friends to celebrate but the time spent with Beth made it worth it. After being a parent for nine years, he was used to not being able to do what he wanted because he had to take care of his kid. And with everything going on between him and Quinn, he was smart enough to know that he shouldn't complain about anything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After Finn left, Puck sat in the living room watching television with Beth. When a music video of Rachel's came on, Beth got excited.

"Oh I love this song. Dad didn't you used to know Rachel? I saw your middle school yearbook at Grammy's house and her picture was in it."

He nodded. "Yeah we were great friends when we were kids."

"What happened?"

"Well the summer before high school started, she told me that her parents were moving her and her sister to New York so that she could go to a performing arts school. In the beginning of August, she was gone."

Beth frowned. "That's sad. Do you think she remembers you?"

He shook his head. "Doubt it. It was a long time ago."

Before Beth could ask another question, the doorbell rang. Puck sighed as he got up, hoping that it wasn't another one of his friends who expected him to be at Finn's celebration tonight. When he opened the door, he became confused at the sight of a woman standing there. "Can I help you?"

The stranger took off her hat and sunglasses, revealing herself to be Rachel. "Hello Noah."

Puck's jaw dropped. "Rachel? W-what are you doing here?"

She sighed. "I know it's been a while but…I need your help."

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Puck was speechless. He hasn't spoken to Rachel since that summer that she left and here she was on his doorstep asking for help. "What could you need my help with?"

She looked around. "It's kind of a long story. Can I come in? I don't want anyone to see me."

"Yeah sure," he responded, letting her in.

Beth looked over at them and jumped up and down in excitement. "Oh my gosh. It's you. I can't believe you're here in my house."

Puck laughed at her excitement. "Beth relax. Rachel's a regular person just like you and me."

"Except for the fact that she's a huge superstar. How can you not get excited about this?"

He looked at Rachel. "Sorry about her. You're her favorite singer and it's been her dream to meet you."

"No problem, I get it all the time. I'm just glad she's not fainting or crying like some people do."

Beth waved her off. "Please, I've perfected the way I would act if I ever met you."

"Well you're doing a great job." She walked over to the little girl and held out her hand. "I'm Rachel. What's your name?"

"Beth," she smiled as she shook it. She looked at Puck. "Dad did you set this up?"

Ignoring Rachel's look of shock, he shook his head. "Nope but I wish I did. If I had known that the famous Rachel Berry had a break in her schedule I would've asked her to fly out immediately to meet you. But why don't you go to your room for a bit and give me and Rachel a chance to talk?"

"Okay," she nodded before looking at Rachel. "Promise you won't leave without a picture at least?"

Rachel giggled before nodding. "Promise." Beth smiled before taking her stuff and going upstairs. Rachel looked at Puck. "She's adorable."

"Thanks. I'm just trying to enjoy this time before she starts going through puberty."

"So you're a dad now," she said as they sat down. "Things have really changed. I remember you always said you never wanted kids."

He shrugged. "I mean to be fair, I was thirteen. Of course I didn't want kids."

"Good point. How old is she?"

"Nine." When he noticed her mentally do the math, he nodded. "Yes she was born when I was fifteen."

"Wow that must've been rough. Are you and her mother still together?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. We tried but we broke up a year after we had her. Now it's all about co-parenting."

"I've heard that can be tough."

"Oh it is but I'm managing. Now let's talk about you. What are you doing here and what could you possibly need my help with?"

She sighed. "I, uh, I kind of ran away."

"What do you mean? How's that even possible being who you are?"

"I used one of my private jets and had the pilot land in the countryside where there weren't any people around. Then I put on this disguise and called a cab."

"What reason would you even have to run away? You have everything, the great career, the adoring fans, and the perfect boyfriend. What's the problem?"

"I'm not happy at all. My relationship was great at first but it just became something for publicity and that's not what I want for myself. I was supposed to go on TV this morning and talk about how happy I am to be with him but it would be a lie."

"So why not break up with the guy?" he asked.

"My mother would kill me. She's taken it upon herself to control everything about my career and I just can't take it anymore."

"What about your dad?"

Rachel hesitated and looked down. "He…died three years ago. He got sick and in a few months he was gone."

Puck put his hand on top of hers. "Rachel I'm really sorry. I remember how close you two were."

"Yeah he was my best friend. But now it seems like the only person I have on my side is Marley."

"How's she doing?"

"She's pretty great. She'd rather sing in coffee shops than on stage in front of a thousand people but that's never stopped her from being on one of my backup singers. She's actually started getting into acting."

"Really? I always thought she was dramatic."

She laughed. "Yeah it might be coming to great use."

He looked at her. "So no one knows you're here?"

"No, not even Marley. I didn't want to put her in a bad spot with everyone else if they found out that she knows where I am. She just knows I'm someplace safe and that's all that matters."

"So do you need me to find you a hotel or something?"

She shook her head. "Actually, I know this is a lot to ask for especially now that I know that you have a child but I was hoping you'd be okay with me staying here."

Puck looked at her confused. "At my house?"

"It's just that checking into a hotel will attract a lot of attention that will probably blow my cover. If it's too much trouble I can figure something else out."

As much as Puck knew he shouldn't, he couldn't help but feel like he couldn't turn Rachel away. She needed help and who knows what would happen if people found out she was there. He might have hell to pay with Quinn later but he couldn't turn his friend away. "No you don't have to. You can stay."

Rachel smiled. "Really, are you sure? I don't want to cause any trouble."

"Really Rachel, it's okay. I have a spare bedroom upstairs so it'll be no trouble."

"What about Beth's mother? Will she be okay with me staying here with Beth?"

He hesitated. "Eh, don't worry about that part. I can handle it."

"Who is her mom anyway?"

"Quinn Fabray."

She laughed. "Seriously? The biggest bitch of middle school?"

"What can I say? At the time I thought she was hot so it became my mission to get her," he shrugged. "I just didn't realize how much work she really was."

"Well did she at least stop being a bitch?"

He shook his head. "Not at all. If anything, she's kind of worse than before."

"Wow, I'm sorry. Co-parenting with her must be pretty hard."

"I'm pretty sure you'll be a witness to how difficult it is. How long were you planning on staying anyway?"

"I don't know, I just need a break. When I'm ready I'll go back."

Before Puck could say anything else, Beth came downstairs. "Are you guys done talking yet? I wanted to spend time with Rachel before she left."

Rachel looked at her. "Actually I won't be leaving anytime soon."

Seeing Beth's confused expression, Puck smirked knowing his daughter was about to freak out. "Rachel will be staying with us for a while."

Beth's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?"

Rachel smiled and nodded. "Yes, are you okay with that?"

"Of course I'm okay with that," the little girl smiled back.

"But there is one condition to this."

"Name it."

"You can't tell anyone that I'm here," she told her. "You can't tell your friends or anyone at school about me being here and staying with you."

"Why not?" Beth frowned.

"I uh," she looked at Puck who nodded, telling her to tell the truth. "I sort of ran away for a little bit and I don't want anyone to find me."

The child's jaw dropped. "You ran away? Aren't you going to be in big trouble?"

"Probably but I get to spend time with you and your dad so it'll be worth it. So will you keep my secret?"

"Yes," she nodded before hugging Rachel.

Puck smiled. "Okay Beth why don't you take Rachel upstairs and show her the guest room?"

Beth nodded before taking her hand and leading her up the stairs as Puck sat on the couch. He couldn't believe Rachel was there and wanted to stay with him. He had been wondering if he would ever be able to see her again and here she was. This was going to be interesting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"And this is my room," Beth said, leading Rachel into the room. "I helped my dad decorate it."

"It looks very nice," Rachel said as she looked around. She stopped when she saw a photo of Beth and a woman. "Who's this?"

Beth looked at the picture. "Oh that's my mom."

Rachel smirked to herself. Quinn made sure to change her appearance. Figures she'd be the one to get a nose job. "So how often do you stay with your dad?"

"On the weekends, usually. This time, I'm staying with him for the week because my mom and her boyfriend are on vacation."

"Do you like her boyfriend?"

Beth shrugged. "He's okay. I mean, he argues with my mom a lot but when he's around me he's pretty nice. But I still prefer my dad. He's the best dad ever."

"Well I'm glad to hear that," Rachel smiled. She never thought Puck would have kids but from what Beth is saying, it sounds like he makes a pretty great dad.

After she got settled in her room, Rachel went back downstairs to talk to Puck. She found him in the kitchen, making a pitcher of lemonade. He looked at her.

"Hey did you get everything settled in okay?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm all unpacked," she nodded. "Beth is a really sweet little girl. I see a lot of you in her and luckily not a lot of Quinn."

He laughed. "Yeah I'm pretty happy about that."

"So I've been thinking and I want you to know whatever expenses you have, I'm happy to help out. Groceries, bills, you name it. It's the least I can do for you after what you're doing for me."

"Rachel relax, it's okay. All I need you to do is stay hidden so paparazzi doesn't show up on my doorstep."

"I can do that," she nodded. "Thanks again for doing this."

"Anything for an old friend," he told her before putting the pitcher in the refrigerator and going back into the living room.

As she watched him go, Rachel's phone rang and when she looked at who was calling she took a deep breath before accepting the call.

"Yes Brody?"

"Rachel where the hell are you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Wow I've been gone for hours and you're just now calling to see where I am? Shows how much you care."

"Don't pull that bullshit with me now where are you? Your mom went through all that trouble to get us that interview and you don't show up? How do you think that makes me look?"

"I don't know and honestly I don't care. Not everything is about you. There was no way I was going on television and lying to the world about how happy I am with you when in reality, I'm the complete opposite."

"Look your mom is pissed and worried, you need to come home."

"Not happening. Now if you'll excuse me I have to go."

"Rachel don't you dare hang up. Rachel-"

She pressed the end button and turned off the phone. While part of her felt bad for disappearing on her mother, another part of Rachel has never felt freer. Finally she was doing something she wanted and no one was stopping her or interfering. She was doing something to please no one but herself and she loved how it felt.

 **Let me know your thoughts. Bye for now :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone! So sorry for the long wait. Enjoy!**

Chapter 4

The next morning, Rachel woke up to the sound of music and smell of bacon being cooked. When she went downstairs, she found Puck and Beth dancing around the kitchen while making breakfast. When Puck noticed her, he turned the music down.

"Hey, good morning. I hope we didn't wake you up."

She shook her head. "No, music just has that effect on me. I have to wake up when I hear it."

"Understandable," he nodded.

"Good morning Rachel," Beth smiled. "Want some breakfast? Dad says I'm a pretty good cook."

"Uh don't worry about it. I'm a vegan so I'll just find something else."

"We have pancakes," she suggested.

Rachel smiled at the little girl's efforts. "That would be perfect."

"Beth why don't I get Rachel's breakfast while you go finish getting ready for school?" Puck suggested. As she nodded and went upstairs, he looked at Rachel. "Vegan blueberry pancakes sound ok?"

"Great." As he started making them, she sat on the stool at the counter. "So where did Quinn and her boyfriend go for vacation?"

"Cancun. They wanted to take Beth but I wanted her to stay with me so she'd still be able to go to school. Plus I never get her for more than one night so I wanted to take advantage of this."

Rachel looked at him, confused. "You're her father, why can't you have her more often?"

He shrugged. "According to Quinn, I'm a shitty father who constantly has women running in and out of the house when his daughter is around. I'll admit, I was like that before but when I realized I wanted to be better for Beth, I stopped living that kind of life."

"Well good for you. And if Quinn can't see that, then forget her."

"Thanks," he gave a grateful smile as he stirred the mix. "So what are you going to do while we're out of the house? No wild parties I hope."

She laughed. "Of course not, I'm a good house guest."

"Great."

When Beth came back downstairs, she went over to Rachel. "Rachel are you going to pick me up from school today?"

"Um, I don't think so. That might attract a lot of attention."

"What if you just stayed in the car or something?"

"Beth I'm going to pick you up," Puck told her. "Rachel will be here when you come home now get your backpack so we can leave."

She sighed and walked away as Rachel looked at Puck. "I really wouldn't mind picking her up, I just-"

"Relax Rachel, I know. I don't want you taking the risk of someone finding you so it's okay. I'll have Santana pick her up and bring her to me then I'll bring her back here so you guys can hang out while I finish up work. Okay?"

"Okay," she nodded as she finally observed what he was wearing. "You're a cop?"

"Yeah. I guess you didn't notice the cop car out front?" he smirked.

She shrugged. "I thought it was a neighbor's car. Isn't that a tough job?"

"Yeah but I like it. Keeps me on my toes, plus it's not like Lima has a lot of crime anyway."

Rachel nodded as Beth came back. She looked at her. "Have a good day, Beth."

"Thanks. Bye," she waved before walking out the front door.

"I'll see you later," Puck told her before following Beth. After she watched them drive away, Rachel sighed to herself. She knew it wasn't going to be easy staying in hiding but if it was what she had to do to get some space from the people who tried to control her, it would be worth it. But she did need to talk to one person.

She dialed Marley's number and after two rings, she answered.

"Oh my God, Rachel. You have no idea how happy I am to hear from you. How are you? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry. What's going on?"

"Well Brody's pissed. He said he talked to you and you refused to tell him where you are so he's determined to find you. And Mom's freaking out. She's wondering when you'll be back and if you're okay but she's also worried about how many public appearances she'll have to cancel."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Not surprised."

"I think you made your point, now you really should come home before you make a lot of people mad."

"Marley I can't. I'm finally at peace with no cameras, no one telling me what to do or what to wear and no boyfriend to try and control me. I need this time on my own."

"I just can't believe you up and got on that plane without saying goodbye. I thought I would be the last person you'd do something like that to."

"I wasn't trying to be cruel Marls, I just needed to get out of there before that interview. I'm sorry."

There was a long pause and Rachel had been afraid that Marley had hung up on her but finally, she heard a sigh. "Look just be careful. I don't want you staying with some crazy person."

As she looked at a photo of Puck holding a baby Beth up in the air, she smiled. "Trust me, I'm in the safest place in the world."

They talked for a little longer before hanging up. As much as Rachel missed her sister and felt guilty about not saying goodbye to her, she knew Marley understood. She needed space and this was the only way to get it. Hopefully she wouldn't make a lot of people upset.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When Puck walked into the police station, he was greeted by all of his co-workers before he got to his desk.

While he was looking over his paperwork his friend, Mike, came over to him. "Morning Puck. How's your morning going so far?"

"Um pretty good. I have Beth for the week while Quinn's out of town."

"Oh that's great. You should bring her by one day, you know she loves seeing everyone."

"I don't know, I'll see if it's something she'd want to do," he told him but he knew that with Rachel there, the last thing Beth would want is to spend time at the station instead of spending time with her.

He sat down and logged onto his computer. When he was searching the internet, he noticed there was a news article about Rachel. As he read it, he frowned when he realized it was about how everyone knew she was missing because she didn't show up for an interview. Now that everyone knew she was gone, he wondered what would happen. Rachel was a big star so of course everyone is going to want to know where she is.

"Since when do you care about stuff like that?" Mike's wife, Tina, asked interrupting his thoughts. "I would be expecting Beth to look up stuff like that."

"Well it just popped up on the computer and I was curious."

"Uh huh. Whatever you say," she smirked before walking away as Puck closed the window. He knew he should be focused on work right now but he couldn't help but wonder what Rachel was doing at the house by herself or if she was okay.

After a few hours, he decided to calm his worries and call Rachel. After a few rings, she answered.

"Puckerman residence," she said.

He laughed. "Keep answering the phone like that and someone will think I hired a maid or something."

She giggled. "Sorry the caller ID said it was the police station but I wasn't entirely sure if it was you. But what's up?"

"I just wanted to check and make sure you were okay. I know being in the house all day by yourself can be boring."

"Actually it's the most relaxed I've felt in a long time. It's been great."

"Good I'm glad to hear it. If you need anything I left my cell phone number so just call me."

"Got it."

"Well I have to get back to work. I'll talk to you later," he said. After hearing her say goodbye, he hung up and went back to work.

Later on that day, Santana brought Beth to the police station. When she walked over to Puck, she smirked.

"You're lucky I didn't really have anything to do today. Besides, I thought Q didn't really want me around your precious angel?"

"Well luckily Quinn is far away. If only it was for good."

Before Santana could respond, Beth ran over to them. "Daddy!"

Puck picked her up and hugged her. "Hey baby girl. How was school?"

"Good. Can I go home so I can see you-know-who?"

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

He quickly thought of a lie. "My mom, she's visiting." He looked at Beth. "But give me a little bit and I'll take you home okay? Why don't you go say hi to everyone?"

"Okay," she said before he put her down.

Santana looked at Puck. "Since when does she get so excited about seeing your mom?"

"Well she hasn't seen her in a while. But thanks for picking Beth up, I appreciate it."

"Anything for my favorite little girl. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm meeting Brittany for a late lunch. See you later," she said before walking out.

After a while, Puck took Beth home and as soon as he pulled up in front of the house, Beth ran inside to Rachel. As much as Puck wanted to see Rachel, he had a lot of paperwork that he had to catch up on so he would have to wait until later that night to see her. But he couldn't deny that part of him was excited to be coming home to her.

 **Next chapter we'll see more of Rachel interacting with Beth. Let me know your thoughts. Bye for now :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone! I am so sorry for the wait. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

"So what's it like being a superstar?" Beth asked Rachel as she worked on her homework. "Is it as fun as it looks?"

Rachel thought for a moment. "Not exactly. It can be a lot of pressure. Everyone expects me to be perfect all the time and it can get overwhelming sometimes."

"Sounds like a lot."

"Trust me it is," she said, not really wanting to go into it. The last thing she wanted was to think about her life that her mom seemed to control.

"I sing too you know," Beth smiled.

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "You do?"

"Yeah. My mom and dad say I'm really good for my age and I know they're not just saying it because they're my parents because I've sung for my friends at school and they tell me the same thing."

"Well I have to hear you sometime."

"I have a talent show tomorrow night. My dad's been helping me practice by singing with me. Maybe we can make a disguise for you."

"Your dad sings too?"

Beth nodded. "Yeah he and my mom were in this glee club when they were in high school. They won a lot of competitions but he said that he didn't become a singer like you because he wanted to take care of me."

Rachel smiled. She couldn't believe she never knew her childhood friend could sing and she really wanted to hear him and Beth. "Well I'll make sure I try to find a disguise so I can sneak in."

"Awesome."

"Want a snack? I was bored earlier and noticed that your dad had stuff to make cookies so I just went ahead and baked some." She eagerly nodded and followed Rachel into the kitchen. As she brought out the cookies for Beth, Rachel looked at her. "So what's life like with your parents? Is it hard with them being separated?"

Beth shook her head. "No not really. Dad said they broke up when I was a baby so I'm pretty used to them being separated. Plus I like having my dad to myself."

"What about your mom?"

She thought for a moment. "She can have really weird mood swings but other than that, she's pretty great. We have fun together sometimes but I have a lot more fun with my dad."

Rachel smiled. "Well I'm glad you're such a daddy's girl. I'm sure he loves having fun with you too."

"Oh I know he does. He tells me all the time."

As they talked, Rachel couldn't be more impressed with Beth. She was a bright little girl and Rachel had to admit that Puck and Quinn were really good parents. While Beth went off to do her homework, she was cleaning the kitchen when the front door opened.

"Hey I'm home!" Puck yelled from the door before walking into the kitchen and seeing Rachel. "Hey where's Beth?"

"Upstairs doing her homework. Does she usually just come home and stay by herself until you get off?"

He shook his head. "No if I'm not done I'll usually have her dropped off at the station and she'll hang out there until I'm done then we go home. But considering how I usually have her on the weekends, that doesn't happen too often."

Rachel nodded before changing the subject. "Well Beth and I were talking and we were thinking about how great it would be if I could go to her talent show."

"How would you go if you don't want anyone to know you're here?"

"Well I was thinking you could help me put together a little disguise. I really want to hear Beth sing and if we can make me unrecognizable then it shouldn't be a problem."

Puck thought for a moment. Was it possible to take Rachel and disguise her? He didn't know but it was worth a shot. He nodded. "I guess we'll see what we can do."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next night, Puck, Beth, and Rachel went to Beth's school. For Rachel's disguise Puck got her a blonde wig with a hat, sunglasses and black clothing. As Beth went backstage to prepare to go on stage, Puck stood in the back of the auditorium with Rachel.

She looked at him. "Hey I meant to tell you this last night but I think you and Quinn are doing a really great job with Beth. She's a really great kid."

He smiled at her. "Thank you. Everyone just assumes she gets her good manners and behavior from Quinn so it's nice to finally get some credit for her."

"Why is everyone so quick to judge your parenting? Were you that bad before you got everything together?"

"Worse trust me," he said before the lights went down and the stage lit up.

As each child went up and performed, Rachel couldn't help but wonder what bad things Puck could've done when Beth was first born. He seemed so perfect as a father it was hard to imagine him being any worse. She didn't want to pry into his life after being out of it for so long but she was very curious to know about Puck's past.

When it was finally Beth's turn, Puck clapped and cheered loudly as if to make sure Beth knew he was there. Rachel smiled to herself before turning her attention to Beth who sat on a stool before her music began and she started singing.

 _When the road gets dark  
And you can no longer see  
Let my love throw a spark  
Have a little faith in me_

 _And when the tears you cry_  
 _Are all you can believe_  
 _Give these loving arms a try_  
 _Have a little faith in me_

 _Have a little faith in me_  
 _Have a little faith in me_  
 _Have a little faith in me_  
 _Have a little faith in me_

Rachel smiled. Beth had a beautiful voice for someone so young. She looked at Puck who nodded proudly before looking back at Beth who looked like a natural performer.

 _When your secret heart_  
 _Cannot speak so easily_  
 _From a whisper start_  
 _To have a little faith in me_

 _And when your back's against the wall_  
 _Just turn around and you will see_  
 _I will catch your, I will catch your fall_  
 _Have a little faith in me_

 _Have a little faith in me_  
 _Have a little faith in me_  
 _Have a little faith in me_  
 _Have a little faith in me_

 _I've been loving you for such a long time_  
 _Expecting nothing in return_  
 _Just for you to have a little faith in me_  
 _You know time, time is our friend_  
 _But for us there is no end_

 _All you gotta do, is have faith in me_

Puck smiled, watching his daughter up on stage. He knew she had a gift and he wanted to encourage her to nurture it. She loved to sing and Puck was going to do everything he could to make sure that she never lost that passion.

 _Have a little faith in me  
Have a little faith in me  
Have a little faith in me  
Have a little faith in me_

When the music ended, the audience applauded as Beth got up and took a bow before walking off stage. When it came time for awards, the principal of the school walked on stage and began awarding the top five winners.

"And now for our winner," he said as the drum roll started before pausing. "Beth Puckerman!"

Beth ran back out on stage and received her ribbon before she and the other winners took a bow and the curtain closed. Puck went by the stage and was ready to catch Beth when she jumped in his arms.

"Great job munchkin, you were amazing," he told her.

She smiled. "Thanks. What did Rachel think?"

"Well let's go find out," he said as he started to walk over to Rachel. He looked at her. "Before you say anything we should probably just hurry and get to the car before anyone questions us."

Rachel nodded as the three of them left the building. Once they were secure in the car, Rachel took off her sunglasses and looked at Beth.

"I have to say I am very impressed Beth. You have a beautiful voice."

"Thanks that means a lot coming from you," the little girl smiled.

"Hey what about my opinion?" Puck joked.

"No offense Dad but Rachel's a superstar. Having her say I'm great means way more than hearing my dad tell me I'm great."

"She has a point," Rachel smirked.

Puck rolled his eyes as he continued to drive home while Rachel and Beth talked about the performance. When they got back to the house, Beth went upstairs to get ready for bed while Puck in the living room with Rachel.

"Have you talked to anyone back home?" he asked.

"Just Marley. I had to make sure she knew I was okay."

"Did you tell her where you were?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't want her to have to lie when people ask her where I am. I just told her I was in the safest place in the world."

"So what's your end goal? How long are you going to hide out here?"

"I don't really know. Long enough where I can finally feel like me again."

Puck sighed. He really didn't want to get on Rachel's case about this but he had Beth to worry about. "Look, I'm all for you staying here until you get yourself together but I don't want Beth to start thinking it's forever. She's already pretty attached to you but I don't want her to be upset when you leave."

Rachel frowned. She should've known Puck would be worried about her presence and she couldn't believe she hadn't realized how it might be an issue for Beth. "I'm sorry I didn't think about that. I promise I'll try not to be here too long."

She got up and went upstairs to the guest room as Puck sighed. He really wasn't trying to make Rachel feel unwelcomed but he had to put Beth first. He only had her for a few more days before Quinn came back and he didn't want her to go back to Quinn upset because she couldn't be around Rachel as much. Everything would just get messy and he wanted to prevent that. But he still couldn't help but feel bad.

 **Song used is the tv show Nashville's cover of Have a Little Faith In Me. In my mind, Beth is like Daphne when she sings. I know everyone may be wondering why Rachel couldn't stand up to her mom and Brody and later on we will find out why she felt like the only option she had was to leave and not tell anyone. Just hang in there. Bye for now :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 6

The next morning, Rachel went downstairs and found Puck drinking coffee in the kitchen. When he noticed her walk in, he looked at her.

"Morning," he said.

"Good morning," she replied quietly as she grabbed a glass to get orange juice. "Where's Beth?"

"At school already. You kind of slept in."

She looked at the clock and realized it was already ten-thirty. "Oh. Well shouldn't you be at work then?"

"I had a doctor appointment an hour ago so I took the day off."

"Oh is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah it was just a checkup," he told her. She nodded and an awkward silence filled the air until Puck sighed. "Look Rachel I'm sorry about last night. I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcomed or anything. I just have to worry about Beth and-"

"It's okay Noah. After we talked I thought about everything and I understand where you were coming from. You're a parent so you have to be concerned for Beth's best interest. But to tell you the truth, I really don't know when I'll feel okay enough to go back. I've just held everything in for so long that I don't know how to be me anymore. I feel like I'm just floating through day by day being what everyone else wants me to be."

He frowned. "That sounds really sad. Why didn't you just get help?"

She shrugged. "I never had time. I rarely get a moment to myself because I'm either doing a show, recording music, doing an interview or being there for Brody. I never really take time for myself."

Puck thought for a moment. "Well since I'm off and Beth's at school, why don't we help you do that?"

"How?"

He smirked. "Still have your disguise?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Puck what are we doing here?" Rachel asked as they went into a music shop. "What if someone recognizes me?"

"Relax, hardly anyone ever comes in here around this time. Plus no one recognized you last night so I doubt they'll recognize you now." He led her over to a piano. "When was the last time you played?"

She scoffed. "A month or two ago probably."

"Well here's your chance. Play something."

"What am I supposed to play?" she asked.

"Anything." She shrugged before sitting down on the bench in front of the piano before beginning to play the notes to "A Thousand Miles". Puck laughed. "You still like that song?"

"Of course. It was one of the first songs I learned to play."

"Yeah but I hoped you would've grown out of it," he smirked as the manager of the store walked over to them.

"Puck I was hoping I'd be seeing you soon," he said, shaking his hand.

"Hey I told you I'd be back."

He looked at Rachel, who was trying to avoid looking at him. "Special lady friend?"

Puck quickly shook his head. "No just a friend visiting from out of town." He pulled out a wad of cash. "I finally have enough for the piano."

"That's great," he said, taking it. "Beth's going to love it. You can take it out of here today if you want."

"Uh I don't really have anyone to help me get it home. Can I come back in about an hour? Finn should be on break by then so he can help me."

"Perfect, it'll be here."

As he and Rachel walked out of the store, Rachel looked at him.

"Did you just buy Beth that piano?" she asked.

"Yeah. I've had my eye on it for a while so I've been saving up for it. Plus she's been asking for lessons so I thought getting one would be a good start."

"Why not have Quinn get it for her? I mean, isn't that what co-parenting is about?"

"Yeah but I begged her to let me get it. Quinn already buys most of her stuff for her so I wanted to be able to take care of this. Can you believe I got her a four wheeler last week?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Yeah she didn't actually ask for that one but I saw it a store and it was a pretty good price so I got it anyway."

"Wow. Sounds like Beth's a lucky little girl."

"I guess she is," he smiled as they got in the car to leave.

Later that day, Beth came home from school and as soon as she saw the piano, her eyes lit up as she ran over to it.

"Is this for me?" she asked.

Puck nodded. "Yeah. You've been asking for piano lessons so I figured we should probably get you your own piano to practice on."

She immediately hugged him. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. You're the best daddy in the whole world."

Rachel smiled at the interaction. She knew Puck was really happy about being able to give her something like this and it warmed her heart to see how close they were. It kind of reminded her of her and her father's relationship before he died. Aside from Marley, he was the one who really understood her because they were the same. Now that he was gone, she felt like she lost her way.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night, Rachel sat in the living room and watched past interviews of her. She couldn't believe how drained she looked. It was like only she knew that the smile she wore was fake.

While she watched, Puck came downstairs. "Hey what are you still doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep and I noticed Beth had some of my interviews recorded so I decided to watch. What about you?"

"Couldn't sleep either," he answered.

He sat down next to her and she looked at him. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What made you get together with Quinn? I mean, the way that you talk about her and how she constantly puts you down as a father makes me wonder what you could've possibly have seen in her."

He laughed. "Yeah I find myself asking myself that same question. But it's pretty simple, I just thought she was hot and I wanted a chance to be with her."

"That's it?" Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Puck sighed. "I guess I just loved the way that she commanded a room. She walked down the hallway at school and you couldn't help but stare at her. Then as I got to know her, I saw that she was actually this really sweet, fragile girl that just wanted someone to love her and I tried to do that. Then one night we got caught in the moment and I stupidly forgot to grab a condom so that's how we got Beth."

"Wow. How did her parents react?"

"Oh her dad was ready to kill me," he laughed. "Her mom was sad that we were so stupid and they kicked her out so she moved in with me and my family."

"That's awful," Rachel frowned. She couldn't imagine her parents kicking her out when she was only fifteen years old.

"Combine that with losing her status at school and the respect of everyone and I guess she just cracked. She became cold and distant towards me and I tried to be understanding but she was just treating me like crap all the time. Then when Beth was born she got a little sweeter but most of it was directed towards Beth. I tried to hang on because I wanted Beth to have a family with both of her parents together because I didn't have that but in the end I just couldn't take it anymore. Quinn constantly snapped at me and treated me like shit and I just couldn't spend the rest of my life like that."

She gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. It must've been tough."

"Yeah but Beth is the best thing that's ever happened to me so at least I got her out of all of that."

"And she adores you so that's even better. I bet she gets away with murder when she's here," she smirked.

Puck laughed. "Surprisingly no. I discipline her too so she doesn't grow up thinking that she can get away with anything when she's with me. Quinn would kill me if she went back home and was a nightmare."

"Understandable."

"So what about you?" Rachel looked at him confused. "How'd you end up with a guy like Brody? To be honest, the guy's a shit actor and he kind of looks like a douche."

"Oh he is but he wasn't always like that. When we got together he was sweet but when he started to get big acting jobs combined with the fame from dating me, he got a big head and just wasn't the same person anymore. Now it's like all he cares about is the publicity of our relationship. And my mom refuses to accept that he's an ass and wants me to stay with him for the publicity so it's like I'm stuck being unhappy."

"Well Rachel it is _your_ life. You don't have to do everything someone tells you to do. Stand up for yourself."

"I've tried but every time I do no one listens and they all just assume I'm not serious so I just give up. My mom's gotten so caught up in being my manager that she forgot how to be a mom. And now that my dad is gone it's like no one can talk any sense into her. At this point, singing isn't as fun as it used to be. Not when I don't even feel like I'm being myself when I perform."

Puck frowned. "I'm sorry. I never knew that being a celebrity was so hard. You make it look like you're having the time of your life."

She gave a small smile. "Brody's not the only actor in the relationship."

Puck sighed. He didn't like what fame has done to Rachel. She may not have turned out as damaged as a lot of other celebrities are but he could tell that deep down, she was hurting and she needed help. He couldn't in good conscience send her back to New York the way she was now and risk her sinking into depression or something worse. He had to help her.

"Rachel?" he said. She looked at him. "We're going to make singing fun again. And you're not going home until we do."

She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't want me here for long because of Beth?"

"We'll figure it out. But you need help and that's what you're here for anyway right?"

"Right," she smiled and hugged him. "Thank you."

He smiled to himself, pleased to have made her happy. "You're welcome."

 **Next chapter Quinn's coming back! What do you think Puck should do to help Rachel? Let me know your thoughts. Bye for now :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 7

The rest of the week went by and Puck was enjoying having both Rachel and Beth. But Sunday came and it was time for Quinn to come home and take Beth back.

"Are you sure I shouldn't just go upstairs when Quinn comes?" Rachel asked as she and Puck sat in the living room while Beth packed her stuff. "That way she won't see me and get upset."

"Knowing Quinn she'll get upset regardless. If it's not you, it'll be the clothes Beth is wearing or how I didn't make sure she looked presentable."

"But what if she decides to be a bitch and tell everyone that I'm here? I'm trying to lay low remember?"

He sighed. "Look I understand that but I can't not tell Quinn I'm having someone stay with me and I can't ask Beth to lie to her mom. We'll figure it out, I promise."

She sighed and nodded as the doorbell rang.

"Beth your mom's here!" Puck called before opening the door. "Hello Quinn."

"Hey is Beth ready?" she asked as she walked in. "I have gifts for her that I can't wait to give her."

"She'll be down in a second, she's just getting her stuff."

Quinn looked at Rachel and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh. Rachel Berry?"

"The one and only," she smiled sheepishly.

"My daughter loves you. Wait." She looked between Rachel and Puck. "What's going on? Was this arranged for Beth or something?"

"Actually Rachel is an old friend of mine from when we were younger," Puck told her before hesitating. "She's actually going to be staying with me for a while."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Staying here? In the house? What about Beth?"

"She's fine with it and it's not going to interfere with me taking care of her when she's here."

"What is she, your new girlfriend or something?"

"No she's just my friend who needs my help right now so I'm going to help her. But no one can know she's here."

"Let me guess, she's one of those wild party girls who had a little too much to drink and is hiding from the law?" she sneered, looking at Rachel.

Before Rachel could respond, Puck cut in. "No she's not. She just needs a place to relax for a little while and that's what I'm providing her. I'm asking as a friend that you not tell anyone she's here or she'll have to leave."

"Maybe that's a good thing. I don't want any bad influences around Beth."

Before Puck could say anything else, Beth came downstairs. "Hi Mom."

"Hey honey I missed you so much," she said as she hugged her. "Did you have fun?"

"Lots. And can you believe Rachel Berry is here? It's like a dream come true."

Rachel tried hard not to laugh as Quinn tried keep the scowl off her face when talking to her daughter. "Well why don't you say goodbye and wait for me in the car?"

Beth hugged Rachel for a moment for going to hug Puck. When she finished she took her stuff outside as Puck looked at Quinn.

"If you tell everyone that Rachel's here she's going to have to leave and it's going to devastate Beth. Is that what you want? Because while I don't think we should bash each other in front of her, I'm also not going to let you ruin the one safe place Rachel has. If you say anything I won't hesitate to tell Beth that you're the reason Rachel has to leave."

"Regardless of whether or not Beth is mad at me I still have to make sure she's safe. I'm sure a judge won't want to hear about you housing some random girl you knew as a kid."

"I've been here for the past week and nothing's happened," Rachel cut in. "I would never do anything to hurt Beth, I promise you that."

"And as far as safety goes, I'm also sure no judge would want to hear about your many bad fights with Sam lately that have been happening around Beth."

Quinn groaned and sighed, knowing that ultimately Puck had the upper hand in this scenario. She looked at him. "One slip up, and I mean just one, and I'll blow the whistle on all of this."

He sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you."

She gave Rachel a dirty look before walking out of the house. Rachel looked at Puck. "Well she officially hates me."

"Well I'm not particularly fond of her boy toy Sam so I guess we're even."

"Yeah what's that about? They fight around Beth?"

He nodded. "Beth told me that Quinn explodes like she usually does and they just leave and slam doors. I just don't want this to have a negative impact on her."

"Well when she comes here it can be like her safe haven. And you can always check on her throughout the week."

"Oh trust me I do but I will definitely be doing it more now."

Rachel's cell phone started ringing and when she looked at the caller ID, she saw it was Brody. She quickly pressed ignore before cutting the phone off completely and groaning. "He just can't leave me alone."

"Who?" Puck asked.

"Brody. He keeps calling and I guess he's not taking the hint that I don't want to be found."

"Have you answered any of the calls?"

"Just one. He was pissed, of course, and I hung up on him. I just can't keep dealing with him and his control issues."

"Hey I completely understand. Quinn not only had some pretty bad mood swings but she was always trying to make me into something I wasn't. There was no way I would've been able to deal with that for the rest of my life." He paused. "You want to know a fun fact?"

"What?"

"Beth was named after the KISS song."

Rachel laughed. "Seriously? Quinn doesn't look like a girl who would be a fan of the band."

"She wasn't but I managed to give a pretty sweet performance of the song that managed to melt her heart and give in to the name. I'm pretty smooth."

"Oh really? Well why don't you sing it for me now then? Beth says you sing with her sometimes so I'm curious to hear how you sound."

Puck thought about it before nodding. "Sure why not? Just keep in mind I'm not a huge star like you so I'm not as good."

She rolled her eyes as they went to sit at the piano. He began to play the notes as he remembered before singing.

 _Beth I hear you calling  
But I can't come home right now  
Me and the boys are playing  
And we just can't find the sound_

 _Just a few more hours_  
 _And I'll be right home to you_  
 _I think I hear them calling_  
 _Oh Beth what can I do_  
 _Beth what can I do_

 _You say you feel so empty_  
 _That our house just ain't our home_  
 _I'm always somewhere else_  
 _And you're always there alone_

 _Just a few more hours_  
 _And I'll be right home to you_  
 _I think I hear them calling_  
 _Oh Beth what can I do_  
 _Beth what can I do_

As he played, Rachel was entranced. Puck was very talented and she couldn't believe how well he sang. It was like she was really seeing him for the first time since she had shown up and she liked what she saw.

 _Beth I know you're lonely_  
 _And I hope you'll be alright_  
 _'Cause me and the boys will be playing all night_

When he stopped playing, he looked at Rachel. She stared into his eyes and began to lean in. As he started to lean in the phone rang. Startled, Puck quickly got up to go answer. As he talked to the person on the line, Rachel took a deep breath. She didn't know what just happened but she knew it couldn't happen again. Puck had responsibilities and priorities that she couldn't get in the way of so she had to forget about that moment they just had.

When Puck came back, she looked at him. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah it was just Finn. I completely forgot that I was supposed to have my friends come over to watch the game tonight."

"Oh," she frowned. "Well I could always wear the disguise while they're here."

"I mean they're going to be here for a while. Do you really want to wear it for that long?"

"Yeah no problem. I wear five pounds of makeup for hours at concerts so it'll be no issue."

"Great," he said before going to straighten up the living room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

When everyone arrived, Rachel was settled into her disguise. As they walked in, they couldn't help but stare at her in shock and curiosity.

"Puck who's this?" Finn asked.

"This is my old friend…Katherine," he quickly lied. "Katherine these are my friends, Finn, Mike, Tina, Santana and Brittany."

Rachel smiled. "It's nice to meet you guys. Puck's told me so much about you."

"Sorry we can't say the same," Santana said, raising an eyebrow. "We've been friends with Puck since high school and we never heard anything about you."

Puck quickly cut in. "We were friends as kids and she came last week. Katherine's just staying with me for a while, she's in between jobs and needs a free place."

"Oh we're sorry to hear that," Tina said. "I'm sure you'll find something in no time."

"Thank you," Rachel responded, glancing at Puck.

"So let's get to the game shall we?" he suggested.

As everyone gathered in the living room to watch the television Rachel went into the kitchen to make herself something to drink. While she was doing that, Santana casually walked in behind her.

"So you knew Puck as a kid," she said, startling her.

"Yeah we go way back."

"I just thought we knew all about Puck's past friends. Are you one of Beth's godparents like us?"

Rachel shook her head. "No I can't say that I am. Puck and I are just reconnecting so everything is still relatively new."

Santana nodded in understanding before taking a deeper look at her. Finally when Rachel was about to walk out, she stood in front of her. "Okay who are you really?"

"What are you talking about?" Rachel asked nervously.

"I've known Puck for years, he tells us everything. We've seen him at his ugliest so if you're part of his past we would know about you but we don't. So what are you, his newest hookup gone wrong? Are you trying to con him into letting you stay?"

"Not at all. Puck really is an old friend."

"So what's with the wig, colored contacts and glasses?" she asked. Rachel looked at her in shock as Santana shrugged. "I'm a bitch so I can spot fakes from a mile away. And you most certainly are a fake. So who are you?"

"Uh," she stammered.

Santana rolled her eyes before pulling her into the living room. "Puck last chance. Who is this girl?"

Puck groaned. "San give it a rest. I told you she's an old friend."

"You must be forgetting who you're talking to here. When I have a gut instinct about something I go after it and I have a gut instinct that you're hiding something. Beth was so excited to come home last week to see whoever was here and then this girl's here who you just reconnected with so why would Beth be so excited to see practically a stranger to her?"

Puck went to answer but Rachel cut in. "Puck don't. I don't think it's working."

He sighed and went over to her. "Look I know my friends, they're good people. I think you can trust them."

She sighed and nodded before taking off the disguise. Everyone's jaw dropped at who was standing in front of them as she smiled weakly. "Hi everyone. I'm Rachel Berry."

 **A lot happening in this chapter. Quinn's back, the almost kiss, and Rachel's exposure. Let me know your thoughts. Bye for now :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

No one said anything as they stared in amazement and confusion. Finally, Santana spoke.

"I knew that something was up with you but I didn't think it was something like this," she said. "Holy shit, you're famous."

"Wait what are you doing here in Lima, Ohio of all places?" Finn asked.

Rachel sighed. "Let's just say fame isn't all it's cracked up to be. But you guys can't tell anyone that I'm here."

"Why, are you on the run from the cops?" Santana smirked.

"No I just…ran away." When she saw everyone looking at her confused of what she meant, she shook her head. "Look it's a long story. Bottom line is I don't want my mom or boyfriend or any paparazzi finding me so I need you guys to keep my being here a secret."

"Who else knows you're here?" Tina asked.

"Just Quinn and Beth," Puck answered.

Mike chuckled. "I can only imagine how well Quinn took that."

"Story for another day. But anyway, Rachel really needs you guys to keep this a secret so can you? Because if not she's going to have to leave to escape to someplace else and Beth would be crushed."

Santana rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you're trying to use Beth as a reason why we shouldn't turn her in. What if her people are offering a reward for anyone who knows where she is? We could cash in."

"San that's not nice," Brittany frowned. "If she wants us to keep her secret we should."

Rachel looked between the two and by the way Santana appeared to be softening up, it was evident to her that the two were together. She shot Brittany a grateful smile before looking at everyone else. "So will you guys please keep my secret?"

After a moment they all hesitantly nodded and Rachel smiled before Puck spoke. "Okay well now that that's handled let's get back to the game."

"Let me go put my disguise away," Rachel said before going upstairs.

Finn looked at Puck. "So you guys are just friends?"

"Yeah why?"

"How many people from your past would you let stay here when you have Beth?"

Puck shook his head. "This is different, Rachel is an old friend. I knew her when we were kids up to high school so I trust her."

"So you never felt the need to mention the singer that Beth is crazy about just happens to be your childhood best friend?" Tina raised an eyebrow.

"We lost touch so I never thought it was important to mention. Now can we drop it please?"

No one said anything else as Rachel came back downstairs. When she sat down, she looked over at Puck who gave her a small smile. She smiled back before looking down then looking at the television. Santana noticed this exchange but stayed silent so everyone could actually enjoy the game.

When the game was over and everyone was about to leave a few hours later, Mike looked at Puck. "So are we still on for next week?"

"Absolutely, we'll be there."

"Great." He looked at Rachel. "It was nice meeting you Rachel."

She smiled. "It was nice meeting you guys too."

As they walked out, Santana looked at her and smirked. "Keep it PG in here."

Rachel shook her head, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw how Puck looks at you and how you look at him and since Beth was here, I'm sure you guys haven't fucked yet. This is your first night alone together so who knows what'll happen."

"Santana Puck and I really are just friends. That's all."

"The energy exchanges I was seeing was not just friendly exchanges. Just saying."

She bumped shoulders with her before walking out as Rachel rolled her eyes. She had no idea how Puck was able to be friends with someone like Santana but hopefully there's a good reason behind it. When everyone was gone, she helped Puck clean up.

"Your friends really are great," she said. "And Santana is…something."

Puck laughed. "Yeah I'm really sorry about what happened. I should've warned you about her."

"Yes a warning would've been nice. But I think it's really nice of them to keep my secret."

"Well my friends are really great people. They were there for me when I was out of control and brought me back to the real world. I owe them everything for that."

She looked at him. "I wish I could've been around to help."

He waved her off. "Hey you were a little busy being a superstar. No hard feelings."

She nodded as she changed the subject. "So what was Mike talking about? What's next week?"

"Oh once a month we all go out bowling with Beth. Since Quinn and I couldn't work out, I like doing things with her and my friends to give her a feel of a family."

"That's really sweet," she smiled.

"Would you be interested in coming along with us?"

"Sure," she nodded.

As silence fell between them, Rachel looked at the piano and remembered the kiss they almost shared earlier that day. What would've happened if Puck's phone hadn't rang? Would they have kissed? It didn't seem like he wanted to bring it up again but maybe he just forgot about it.

"Well I think I'm going to head up to bed," he said, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Okay. I think I'm going to stay up for a little bit."

"Okay. Well good night."

"Good night," she smiled.

He looked down at her and started to feel the same connection with her that he felt earlier. With the way he looked at her, Rachel could tell Puck remembered what happened earlier and was feeling what she felt. It was late so now there wasn't really a chance of anyone calling and interrupting them.

They both leaned in until their lips finally connected. Puck didn't know what he was doing but it felt right doing this with Rachel. He brought his hand up to her cheek and brought her closer as he deepened the kiss. When they finally pulled away, they stared at each other clearly aware that things between them have definitely changed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Rachel paced back and forth as she waited for Tina to come over. Luckily she had the day off and gave Rachel her number before they left yesterday. Finally, the doorbell rang and she opened the door.

"Hey what's so urgent that I had to come over right away?" Tina asked as she walked in.

"Something…happened after you guys left last night," Rachel said as she and Tina sat down on the couch.

"Something like?"

She took a breath. "Puck and I kind of kissed."

Tina's jaw dropped. "You kissed Puck? Oh my God. How did that even happen?"

"I don't know, we were just cleaning up and talking and then we went to say good night and it just happened."

"It just happened?" she raised an eyebrow.

Rachel sighed. "Well we did almost kiss earlier yesterday. He played the KISS song Beth was named after and we were caught up in the moment but Finn called and interrupted. I didn't think it would happen again but it did and now I don't know what to do."

"Have you talked to him about it?"

"No I pretended to still be asleep when he left for work this morning but what am I going to do when he gets back?"

"You could always just confront him about it and see what he thinks. You never know, he might feel just as weird about the situation as you do."

"What if he hated it?" she asked, panicked. "What if he tells me I need to leave?"

"Rachel relax. Puck's not going to kick you out, he's too nice and generous to do that. Just see what he says and take it from there. But either way you have to talk to him. This isn't the kind of thing you two can just skip over like it never happened."

Rachel frowned. "Yeah I know."

Later on that night, Puck walked into the house unsure of what was going to happen. He knew he and Rachel had to talk about that kiss but he just didn't know how or what to say. He broke his own rule of not getting involved with her and now he didn't know what to do.

As he set his stuff down in the kitchen, Rachel appeared in the doorway. "Hi."

He looked at her. "Hey."

There was a moment of silence before they started to speak at the same time. "Look about last night-"

"You start," Rachel said.

"I just wanted to say sorry for getting carried away."

"Me too. I understand that nothing could ever happen between us because of Beth and me only being here temporarily. I don't know how I let it happen."

"Well it's on me too. But-"

He was cut off by his cell phone ringing and looked at Rachel. She nodded. "You should get it. It might be Beth."

He picked up his cell phone and nodded. "You're right. Hang on." He answered. "Hey baby girl. Wait, slow down. What's going on? Where are you now? Okay stay right there, I'm on my way."

He hung up and grabbed his jacket as Rachel looked at him. "Is everything okay?"

"Quinn and Sam are fighting and it's really bad. Apparently she's throwing dishes around and screaming so I'm going to get Beth."

"Can I come? I just want to make sure she's okay."

Puck hesitated. He knew they still needed to talk but it looked like it was going to have to wait. "Sure I have a hat and sunglasses in the car that you can put on. Let's go."

She quickly grabbed her jacket near the door as they left. The car ride to Quinn's was silent. Rachel knew now was not the time to continue their conversation. She could tell Puck had a million thoughts flying through his head so they didn't need to be focused on them, they had to focus on Beth.

When they got to Quinn's, Puck wasted no time getting out of the car and going to the door. "Quinn open up it's me."

After a moment, Sam opened the door and Puck could immediately hear Quinn screaming. "Puck now is really not a good time."

Puck heard the sound of glass being thrown and shook his head. "Look if I was on duty I would arrest both you and Quinn for disturbing the peace but I'm here for Beth."

He barged inside and Quinn came out of the kitchen. "Puck I'm really not in the mood to deal with your crap right now so can you leave?"

"No I cannot. Beth is in her room scared out of her mind so I'm taking her for the night."

Not in the mood to argue, Quinn simply nodded before storming back into the kitchen. Puck ran upstairs into Beth's room and found her in her closet, covering her ears.

As soon as she saw him she ran to him. "Daddy!"

Puck immediately took her in his arms and picked her up. "Come on, let's get you out of here."

He grabbed her favorite stuffed animal before carrying her out of the house as Quinn began screaming at Sam again. When he put Beth in the car, she smiled when she saw Rachel.

"Hi Rachel," she said.

"Hey are you alright?"

"I'm a lot better now. Daddy's like a superhero."

"And I'll always be here to rescue you," he smiled as he drove back home.

When they got there, Puck went to put Beth to sleep before coming back downstairs.

"How is she?" Rachel asked.

"She's fine," he said as he sat down next to her on the couch. "Apparently Sam's been cheating on Quinn and when some woman called the house she lost it. Beth ran upstairs when Quinn started throwing things and that's when she called me."

"Well at least she knew to call you. Maybe she should just stay here for a little while."

He shrugged. "I don't know, I doubt Quinn will allow that. For now I'll just be happy that Beth's here tonight while they're doing all that at her place."

Rachel nodded as they sat in silence. Right now wasn't the time to talk about the kiss. Puck was clearly worried about Beth so they would have to talk about the kiss later. She just wasn't looking forward to the way the conversation was going to go.

 **A lot happening in this chapter. Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 9

The next day, Puck got Beth to school and called out of work to recover from everything that happened yesterday. Not only was the kissing situation between him and Rachel not resolved but then he also had to deal with everything that happened with Quinn. He didn't know if he felt comfortable letting Beth go back to her house with all the fighting between Quinn and Sam.

Rachel walked in, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I took the day off. I needed a break today."

She sat down across from him at the table. "Thinking about Beth?"

"Yeah. I just can't forget how scared she sounded when she called. I don't want her to have to deal with stuff like that."

"She's nine years old, she shouldn't have to. But I'm sure Quinn wouldn't let anything happen to her. She _is_ her mother."

"I know but something about all this just doesn't feel right." Before Rachel could say anything else, the doorbell rang and Puck opened it to see Quinn. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

He hesitated before finally nodding and opening the door wider for her to come in. "Sure."

"I called the station and they said you called in sick so I figured you'd be here," she said, walking in. "Hello Rachel."

Surprised that Quinn acknowledged her, Rachel hesitantly replied. "Hey Quinn. I guess I'll let you guys talk."

As she went upstairs, Puck and Quinn sat in the living room. Puck sighed. "Look Quinn I don't like what I saw last night. Honestly, I'm pissed about it."

She nodded. "Normally I'd fight with you but in this case I don't blame you. If Beth called me like that I'd be pretty pissed too."

"I don't know what's going to happen between you and Sam but I do know I don't want Beth there if it's going to be a hostile environment for her."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She took a deep breath. "As Beth probably told you, Sam has been cheating on me for a few months. The other woman called the house with the intention of me finding out and I just lost it. I spent a year and a half with this guy and he betrayed me just like that. He didn't even seem affected when I threw his stuff out on the street and told him to never come back. I guess you can say 'I told you so'."

Puck shook his head. "I'm not going to do that. I may not be able to stand you half the time but you're the mother of my child so I have to have some kind of respect for you even though I'm pissed at you right now. Beth can't be around when you're like that, Quinn. It scares her and quite frankly it makes me worry for her safety."

"I understand. Which is why I think she should live with you for a while. Full time."

He froze. "What?"

"I need some time to get myself together. I don't want Beth to think of her mother as this crazy person who she can't feel safe with. Ever since she was born I've been trying to get my life back on track so I could feel as confident as I did before I had her but that's been hard. I need to go away for a while and really work on myself."

"Quinn I'm sympathetic to everything that happened with Sam but you can't just abandon Beth like this, what am I going to tell her? She's not five years old, I can't tell her Mommy went on vacation or something."

"Tell her I'm just going away for a little while but I'll be back soon. Tell her I'm going to get better for her. She's smart, she'll understand."

"No kid ever understands their parent abandoning them. I know I didn't."

Quinn went silent for a moment before speaking. "Puck please. I lost my mind last night and I don't want to put Beth through that ever again. You've been asking for more time with her anyway."

"I meant something like fifty-fifty. Not me basically taking her full time."

"Look you have the gang right? I'm sure they'd be willing to help out. Please just do this for me. Please I'm begging you."

Seeing that she was desperate, Puck sighed. He didn't know how any of this was going to work but he also in good conscience couldn't let Beth go back to that house with the possibility of Quinn exploding like that again. "Okay, I'll do it."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Just get yourself better for Beth."

"I will." She got up and started to head to the door. "I'll make sure to get her stuff here before she gets out of school."

"Okay. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Positive. Just please take care of my little girl."

Seeing how worried she was about all of this, he didn't even bother to correct her. "I will, I promise."

She gave a small smile before walking out. As Puck closed the door behind her, he leaned against it and sighed. He didn't know how he was supposed to explain this to Beth or what was about to happen.

Rachel came downstairs and looked at him. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know," he said, going over and sitting on the couch. Rachel sat next to him as he sighed again. "Quinn wants Beth to stay here full time while she goes away to get herself together."

She raised her eyebrows. "Wow. How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know. I mean I love Beth and of course I want her with me but I never imagined having her full time. I don't know if I'll be able to do it."

"Well you won't be doing it alone. You have your friends and…you have me."

He looked at her and gave a sad smile. "I have you until you go back to your life. Who knows how long Quinn will be gone for or even if she'll come back."

"Puck I've seen how you are with Beth. You're an amazing father. Trust me, you can handle it."

"You really think so?"

"I know so," she smiled. He smiled back and nodded. "So what are you going to tell Beth?"

His smile faded. "I have no idea."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Puck and Rachel sat in silence later that evening as they watched Beth process the information he had just given her. He wasn't sure how to take her silence and he was hoping it wouldn't lead to some kind of meltdown.

"So Mom's gone?" she asked.

"Just for a little while," he assured her. "She wants to make sure that she gets strong enough so she can be the best mom she can be for you."

"And then she'll come back?"

Trying to hide his uncertainty, Puck quickly nodded. "Then she'll come back."

"Well what about Sam?" she asked.

"Sam's moving out so you probably won't see him anymore."

Beth was quiet for a moment before shrugging. "That's okay I guess. He always just seemed like he was trying to be my dad."

"Well I'm glad you know you only have one of those," he smiled, hugging her. "So what do you think? Are you okay staying here with me?"

She quickly nodded. "I love being here with you. And Rachel."

Rachel smiled. "I love being here with you too."

"Alright munchkin go finish up your homework," he told Beth. She nodded before running upstairs as he looked at Rachel. "Well that went better than I expected."

"She might not fully understand the situation. Like you said, who knows when Quinn is coming back."

He shrugged. "I guess we'll find out, won't we? In the meantime, I just have to be prepared for full time parenting."

"I'm sure you can handle it." She looked at him and remembered their kiss and their conversation before Beth called the previous night. "Look Puck I know it probably shouldn't have happened but…I don't regret that kiss."

He looked at her, surprised. "You don't?"

She shook her head and walked over to him. "No. And I definitely wouldn't have an issue with it happening again."

He stared at her. "What about Brody?"

"It's a fake relationship for the cameras. Besides he knows we're basically over since I ran away and refuse to speak to him. I'm ready for something real and I think this could be it."

"I don't know Rachel, I mean you're going to be leaving eventually and I still have Beth to worry about. I don't think we should."

Disappointed, she frowned and nodded before going upstairs to her room. She should've known Puck wouldn't want to further their feelings. And after everything that's happened with Quinn, it probably wasn't the best time to bring it up. Now that he's about to be a fulltime father maybe a relationship would be too much for him to handle.

Later that night while everyone was asleep, Puck laid awake in bed thinking about Rachel. He couldn't get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried. She was gorgeous, sweet, and great with Beth. She was basically everything he ever wanted for himself so what was he afraid of? Maybe this time he could get what he wanted.

He got out of bed and silently walked to Rachel's bedroom. He knocked, trying to be as quiet as possible so that he wouldn't wake up Beth who was down the hall. After a few seconds, Rachel opened the door and looked at him confused.

"Puck? Is everything okay?"

Instead of responding, he leaned in and kissed her. Shocked at first, Rachel eventually wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. After a moment, they pulled away and she brought him further into the room and closed the door so they wouldn't risk Beth coming out of her room and seeing them. Rachel didn't know what made Puck change his mind but at the moment, she didn't care. She was just glad he did.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 10

"So what happens now?" Puck asked as he laid in bed with Rachel.

"Well I figured there's no harm in you staying in here for the night," she responded. They had agreed not to have sex for the first time right after they got together and with Beth down the hall.

"I mean with us. What's going to happen when you finally go back home and go back to your superstar life?"

She shook her head. "Look we'll figure all of that out. Let's just be happy that this is actually happening because I didn't think it would."

He smiled. "Neither did I but I'm glad it did."

"Me too," she replied before leaning in and kissing him.

The next day, Puck made breakfast while Beth sat and looked over her homework. Rachel was still asleep and he figured this was the perfect time to get Beth's honest opinion on he and Rachel dating.

"Hey munchkin I want to talk to you about something," he said. She looked up at him. "Uh, you know how Rachel and I have been friends and everything for a while right?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Well, uh, we've recently decided to start dating."

Beth raised her eyebrows in excitement. "Really? You're dating Rachel?"

"Yes. I just wanted to make sure it was alright with you."

"Of course it's alright with me, Dad," she smiled. "A superstar is going to be my new stepmom."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, munchkin. We're just trying to see where it goes. Don't forget Rachel still has a life of her own that she'll have to go back to eventually."

Beth shrugged. "Maybe we can go with her. I mean we _are_ part of her life now." Before Puck could respond, they smelled something burning. "Uh Daddy, I think you're burning the toast."

He silently cursed to himself as he quickly got up to tend to the food and thought about what Beth said. When Rachel did return to her life, could it be possible for him and Beth to join her? After all, he did have full custody of Beth but that's only temporary. Quinn could come back at any time to take her back and there are no words to describe how pissed she'd be if she found out that Beth was moved to another state without her consent.

After he left to take Beth to school, Rachel came downstairs to find the house empty. She was disappointed that she missed Puck and Beth but at least she could look forward to when they come home. As she sat in the living room to watch television, her cell phone rang.

She looked at who was calling and immediately answered. "Marls I can't wait to tell you what's been happening."

"Rachel, Mom hired a private investigator," she told her.

Rachel's heart stopped. "What?"

"She's fed up with your disappearance so she just hired someone to come find you. And they're good."

She groaned. "Why can't she just leave me alone? You haven't told her anything have you?"

"No she doesn't even know that I talk to you. But there's good news. Brody has officially let you go. He went and attached himself to some model."

"Thank goodness. That means I'm free to be with Noah."

"Wait, Noah?" she asked. Rachel cursed to herself, not wanting that to have come out. "There's only one Noah we've known. Rachel are you where I think you are?"

"If you're thinking some place in the Midwest you'd be correct."

"Oh my God, you're with Noah Puckerman? Wow we haven't seen him in ages. How is he?"

"Amazing. He's actually a dad now."

"Oh please don't tell me you're messing around with a married man."

She rolled her eyes. "Marley of course not. Long story short, he had a kid with that awful Quinn Fabray in high school but they broke up a year after."

"Wow. So you guys are together? How do you think that's going to work with you being…you know, you?"

She thought about it and shrugged. "I have no idea but I look forward to finding out."

"Well just be careful. And be on the lookout for anyone who looks suspicious."

"Got it. Thanks Marley. I really appreciate all your help."

"That's what sisters are for."

After they talked for a little longer, Rachel hung up and tried to watch television but she couldn't stop thinking about the fact that her mom hired a private investigator to find her. She's gone insane and clearly this is the best way she could think about bringing her out of hiding. What if they ended up finding her? What would that mean for her and Puck?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Puck walked into the house on his lunch break, eager to find Rachel. When she wasn't downstairs, he walked upstairs and heard her in her closet in her room. He looked inside and found her in her bra and underwear. He tried to be quiet so she didn't know he was there but when he tried to turn and walk away he hit the wall.

Shocked, Rachel quickly turned around and covered herself. When she saw it was Puck, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh it's you. You scared me."

"Sorry I was trying to leave quietly," he stammered. "You can finish, I'll just be downstairs."

Deciding to play with him, Rachel smirked. "What if I am finished? What if this is how I walk around the house when you and Beth aren't here?"

As she slowly walked over to him, Puck froze. "W-well I'd wish I was here to see it."

"Well now you are," she said as she reached him. "What are you going to do about it?"

Instead of responding Puck leaned in and kissed her. As their tongues battled, he gripped her waist before pushing her towards the bed. When they fell on it, Puck looked down at her.

"You did this on purpose didn't you?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. I don't suppose this is why you came home in the middle of the day?"

"Nope," he shook his head. "I wanted to spend my lunch with you since I didn't see you this morning but I'm perfectly fine doing this too."

Rachel giggled. "Well this would be the perfect time to have sex for the first time but since you'll have to leave me and go back to work I'd rather wait."

"Understandable," he said, lifting himself off of her. "But I also wanted to tell you that I told Beth about us."

She frowned. "How'd she react?"

"Oh she was ecstatic," he smirked. When Rachel let out a breath of relief, he laughed. "Did you think she wouldn't be okay with it?"

"Yeah I mean you two are really close and I know young girls usually hate when their dads start dating."

He shook his head. "Don't worry Beth isn't like that. She knows she'll always be the most important girl in my life."

"Well that's good to know." Remembering her conversation with Marley, she frowned. "I have to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"My mother hired a private investigator to come find me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Wow, she must really want you to come home."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah she's devastated that I'm not doing any interviews or anything she can take credit for. Being here with you and Beth is the most relaxed I've ever felt. I don't know if I'm ready for it to end yet."

"Well let's hope she doesn't succeed in finding you."

Seeing that Puck was as worried as she was, Rachel smiled. "Well I'm officially disconnected from Brody."

"I heard. The guys at the station tend to watch tabloid television junk. Looks like he found someone else too. How do you feel about that?"

Instead of answering, she leaned in and kissed him deeply. "I'm very happy about that. It means I have nothing holding me back."

"Well in that case." He stood up and held out his hand. "I will do the honor of making us lunch."

"Should I get dressed first?"

He looked her up and down before shaking his head. "Nope." She laughed as they got up and went downstairs. "So bowling is happening tonight instead of next week. The group decided that after everything that happened with Quinn, Beth deserves some fun. Think you'll be up for it?"

"Yeah of course. I look forward to kicking your butt," she smirked.

Puck rolled his eyes playfully. "Like that'll happen. Just make sure you have your disguise ready to go."

"You got it boss," she smiled before he kissed her.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At bowling that night, Beth was enjoying challenging her godparents and they enjoyed watching her have fun. Rachel sat off to the side, too worried about attracting attention especially now that she knew her mother hired someone to find her.

Santana sat next to her and smirked. "You do realize we're here to have fun right? And you're sitting here looking miserable."

"If you were hiding and you found out your mother hired someone to find you, you'd be miserable too," she sighed. "I'm just not ready to leave all of this."

"You mean the peacefulness or Puck and Beth?"

"Both. But especially Puck and Beth."

"Look the way I see it is you need to stop spending your time being paranoid about some stalker finding you. Enjoy the time you have now with them. Especially Puck. Have you been having sleepovers?" she raised an eyebrow.

"We just made things official last night and that was our only sleepover. And no we did not have sex."

"Oh that must've been a boring night."

Before she could respond, Puck came over to them. "Hey I know you're worried about drawing attention and everything but Beth would really like to bowl against you."

Seeing Beth give a puppy dog face, Rachel laughed and nodded. "Okay fine. How could I say no to that face?"

As she got up and went over to Beth, Santana looked at Puck. "You're scared they're going to find her aren't you?"

He nodded. "I know she has to go back sometime but I'm not ready yet. Plus, Beth will be heartbroken. She even suggested we go live with Rachel in New York."

"Would that be crazy? I mean, she _is_ a superstar so you know she has the room. And with your talent in music you could probably be part of her band or something."

"Are you forgetting about Beth? I can't just uproot her from everything she's ever known just to be close to my girlfriend. Plus, Quinn would be pissed if she found out."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Quinn lost the right to vote the minute she went crazy and left her kid. You and Beth have a chance to start over so why not take it? Especially after all the hell you went through."

"I don't know Santana. It's something I'd have to really think about and who knows if Rachel would even want us to come with her?"

"You're crazy if you think she doesn't. I can see by the way she looks at you that she would ask you to go if it came down to it. Just consider it."

As they got on the topic of something else, Rachel pretended not to have heard the conversation. While she did want Puck and Beth to come to New York with her, she couldn't help but focus on one specific part of the conversation. What kind of hell did Puck go through? He always said that he was kind of out of control when he and Quinn first split up but how bad was he?

 **Let me know your thoughts! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 11

That Saturday, Rachel and Beth were by themselves while Puck was at the store. While Beth was at the kitchen table writing, Rachel turned on the television to find that they were talking about the music awards that were coming up.

"Do you think you'll be nominated?" Beth asked from the kitchen.

Rachel shook her head. "Doubt it. Besides winning awards isn't a big deal to me. I just want to sing for people."

"That's what I want to do when I grow up. I want to just sing for people."

"Really?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen and leaned over onto the table. "What does your dad think about that?"

"He said I can do anything I want and he'll be here for me."

"Good that's the kind of response my dad had when I told him I wanted to sing."

"So you had a good dad too huh?"

Rachel thought for a moment. Her dad truly was the best who kept his word and was there for every performance she had. "Yeah he was. But what are you working on?"

"I'm trying to write a song. My dad's birthday is coming up and I want to sing a song for him."

She raised an eyebrow. "It is? I wonder why he didn't tell me."

Beth shrugged. "He said his birthdays aren't a big deal and that he much prefers celebrating other people instead. But I want to do something nice for him."

"Well I'm sure he would love anything you do. And I think the fact that you want to write your own songs is amazing for someone your age."

"I'm kind of having a hard time though. Can you help me? I want it to be perfect."

Rachel smiled. "Of course. Let's get to work."

When Puck came home an hour later, he smiled when he found Rachel and Beth laughing and writing together.

"Hey what's going on?" he asked, walking in.

"Oh nothing just me and Rachel having fun," Beth answered. "But Alyssa called and asked if I wanted to come over for a slumber party. Can I go? Please, please, please?"

Puck laughed at his daughter's eagerness. "Okay let me call her parents first."

She smiled before running upstairs to start packing as Puck grabbed the phone to call. Once he confirmed the plans with Alyssa's mom, he hung up and looked at Rachel.

"I guess it's just you and me tonight?" she asked.

"Guess so. Wonder what we can do," he smirked before kissing her.

Realizing this was her opportunity to find out Puck's past that everyone was saying was so bad, Rachel looked at him. "Well actually I wanted to talk to you about something."

He frowned. "You're not breaking up with me already are you?"

"No, no of course not. It's just something I've been wanting to talk about."

He nodded in understanding. "Okay good. It'll be great to have the house to ourselves. First time since we got together."

"Yeah I know. I hope it's not boring," she smirked.

Puck laughed. "Babe with me it's never boring."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel sat in the living room that evening waiting for Puck to come back from dropping Beth off. She wasn't sure if Puck was going to be willing to share his past with her but she was hoping he would.

When he finally came back, he sat next to her on the couch. "Well Alyssa's parents are going to have a fun night. A bunch of nine-year-old girls at their house should make for an interesting night."

Rachel giggled. "At least Beth will have fun. She deserves it after everything that's happened with Quinn. But speaking of Beth, she told me that your birthday is coming up."

Puck groaned. "Of course she did."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I haven't really cared about celebrating my birthdays. Plus, I'm just turning twenty-four so it's not a big deal."

"Well I think we should celebrate and have your friends over. And Beth has a special gift for you that I would love for everyone to see."

He thought about it before nodding. "Fine but just this once. Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

Rachel hesitated before speaking. "I was hoping you would tell me what happened in your past that was so bad. Everyone keeps talking about how you went through hell and you've said that you were a mess and I just want to know what happened. But if you really don't want to talk about it we don't have to."

Puck thought for a moment before sighing. "I guess now that we're together you should know. After Beth was born I committed to being a good dad because I never had that. But when things between Quinn and I went south I acted out. I wanted a family for my kid and I couldn't make it happen and it felt like my fault. So for a while I stopped seeing Beth so I could go out and basically have meaningless sex with girls. I wanted to act like Beth never even happened and to this day I still feel so guilty about it."

"Puck," Rachel frowned.

"When I finally started seeing Beth again and started taking her I would basically take care of her during the day then at night leave her with my mom so I could go out and just get wasted and bring home any random girl. Then I got a wakeup call when I got served with papers saying that Quinn wanted sole custody. In the papers she said I was just like my asshole father and Beth was in danger being around me." He paused thinking back to that day. "After I read the papers, I looked at Beth sleeping and it hit me just how shitty I was acting and how I really had become my father after I tried so hard not to. That wasn't what I wanted for Beth so I cleaned myself up and fought with Quinn for months about custody. And it wasn't pretty."

"What happened?"

He shrugged. "Basically Quinn played dirty and brought up some of my most dark moments that I had with Beth around which made it hard to defend myself. In the end she got full custody with me being able to see Beth once a week. I was heartbroken but I knew I deserved it. I hated every minute of not being able to see Beth as much as I wanted to. I missed her first steps, her first words and I can never forgive myself for that because I know it was my fault. I got depressed and just felt like a failure. Santana and the guys had to force me to get out of bed."

Rachel touched his hand. "Puck I'm so sorry, I had no idea."

"I realized I had a choice to make. I could either continue to be depressed and miss out on my daughter's life or I could step up and try again. I got myself together, started seeing a therapist and put my life back together. When it was time to revisit the custody issue in mediation, I managed to get Beth for weekends instead of just seeing her once a week. Quinn wasn't happy but I didn't care. I was going to be ten times better than I was. I was going to be all about my kid."

"Well you've been doing a great job. Beth adores you and I can tell that you just want the best for her."

He nodded. "Yeah I really do."

"Thank you for telling me. I know that couldn't have been easy to revisit all of that."

"No but I'm glad I told you. Now that we're together you deserve to know."

She smiled before leaning in and kissing him. As he deepened the kiss, Rachel moved onto his lap, straddling him. Feeling himself getting hard as she grinded against him, Puck picked her up and carried her up the stairs to his bedroom.

As he laid her on his bed, Rachel looked up at him and smirked. "We're alone."

"Yeah I've noticed. Think we should watch a movie?" he joked.

She rolled her eyes and pulled him back down to kiss him. Puck's hands went under her skirt and pulled her panties down before running a finger along her clit. Rachel took in a sharp breath when she felt his fingers start pumping in and out of her.

"God Puck," she moaned out. "I want you."

"With pleasure," he smirked before kissing her and pulling the skirt off. In a matter of minutes, all their clothes were off and Puck was grabbing a condom out of his nightstand.

"Can I do it?" Rachel asked.

He looked at her surprised but nodded and gave her the condom. As she opened it and slowly rolled it on, Puck could feel himself getting even more turned on. When she finished, he pushed into her, getting deeper every time he thrusted into her.

"Fuck Rachel," he breathed out, running his hands all over her body. He couldn't get enough of her. Even being inside of her wasn't enough. He wanted all of her at that moment.

"Faster," Rachel demanded.

He obeyed and began pounding into her quickly, earning a cry of pleasure from Rachel. He leaned down and began sucking and biting on her neck causing her to wrap her arms around him and start moaning his name. Feeling himself get close, Puck began to massage her clit causing her to tighten around him as she reached her climax with him following right behind her. He kissed her before pulling out of her and lying next to her.

"So," Puck smirked. "Better than Brody?"

Rachel laughed. "That's what you ask after our first time?"

"Well I just have to know if my skills are better than a bigtime movie star's. And I would like the honest answer."

She leaned in and deeply kissed him before pulling away. "A thousand times better."

"Perfect," he smiled. "That means round two."

Rachel smirked before climbing on top of him. "If you can keep up."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A week passed and Puck's birthday came. The gang was at the house having a party and everyone was enjoying themselves.

"So Rachel how has being normal been for you?" Tina asked.

"Well I will say it's been great. I've been singing professionally for so long that I forgot what all of this is like. It's refreshing to be at a birthday party with a bunch of A-list celebrities."

"I don't know, that sounds like way more fun to me," Santana smirked as everyone laughed.

Beth walked over to them. "Rachel I need you."

"Sure," she said as she got up and walked away with her. When they were out of hearing range, Rachel looked at the little girl. "What's going on?"

"What if Dad doesn't like the song? I don't want to ruin his birthday."

"Beth your dad is going to love anything you do. You could come out and just sing the regular happy birthday song and he'd probably tear up."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Now are you ready?" She nodded as they walked out in front of everyone. "If I can have everyone's attention. Beth has something she would like to say to her dad."

As she sat down, Beth spoke up. "As everyone knows, today is my dad's birthday. And even though he doesn't think so, I think it's pretty important. He's my best friend and I want him to know how much I love him so I wrote this song for him with some help from Rachel. Daddy this is for you."

Puck smiled as Rachel started playing the music. Everyone sat up, eager to hear what Beth was about to sing.

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh_

 _If I'm the sun then you're the moon_

 _If you're the words then I'm the tune_

 _Yeah_

 _If you're the heart then I'm the beat_

 _Somehow together we're complete_

 _Yeah_

 _There are times my world is crumbling and the rain is crashing down_

 _But everywhere you are the sun comes out_

 _Even when you're gone_

 _I feel you close_

 _You'll always be the one_

 _I love the most_

 _You're in my heart, on my mind,_

 _You are underneath my skin_

 _And anywhere anytime that you need anything_

 _Count me in_

 _Oh oh oh oh oh oh_

 _Count me in yeah yeah_

Puck laughed as he felt tears in his eyes. Beth was the most important person in his life and to hear how much she loved him made him choke up. There were not enough words to describe how talented Beth was and the fact that she went through the trouble of writing a song for him made his heart swell.

 _I don't need to say a word, no_

 _'Cause you know when I'm happy and when I'm hurt_

 _We're close as pages in a book_

 _'Cause you make me feel better with just one look_

 _There are times my world is crumbling and the rain is crashing down_

 _But everywhere you are the sun comes out_

 _Even when you're gone_

 _I feel you close_

 _You'll always be the one_

 _I love the most_

 _You're in my heart, on my mind,_

 _You are underneath my skin_

 _And anywhere anytime that you need anything_

 _Count me in oh oh oh oh oh oh_

 _Count me in yeah yeah_

 _'Cause we're two halves of the same new heart that beats to our own drum_

 _You're the shadow always by my side,_

 _One that sometimes knows me better than I know myself_

 _And I wish that you were here with me tonight_

Rachel watched Puck's reaction and smiled. After Puck told her about what he went through when Beth was first born, she knew they had to make the song meaningful. Beth came up with majority of the lyrics, which surprised Rachel since she was so young, but in the end they managed to create a beautiful ode to their relationship.

 _Even when you're gone_

 _I feel you close_

 _You'll always be the one_

 _I love the most (I love the most)_

 _You're in my heart, on my mind,_

 _You are underneath my skin_

 _And anywhere anytime that you need anything_

 _Count me in oh oh oh oh oh oh_

 _Count me in yeah yeah oh oh oh oh_

 _Count me in oh oh oh oh_

 _Count me in_

Everyone clapped and cheered as Beth ran to hug Puck. When they pulled away, Beth smiled. "Did you like it?"

"I loved it baby girl. That was the best birthday gift I've ever gotten," he smiled before hugging her again.

Everyone smiled enjoying the moment when the doorbell rang. Rachel opened it and couldn't believe who it was.

"Marley? What are you doing here? How did you find me?" she asked.

"Rachel we need to get you out of here now. They've figured it out."

 **Song is Count Me In from Liv and Maddie. Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 12

Rachel shook her head in confusion as she let Marley in. "I don't understand, how?"

"I told you Mom hired private investigator. The best one money could buy. Turns out they've been tracing my phone calls with you and once they realized you were in Ohio, Mom knew you'd be here. I made sure to change the date to next week on her plane ticket so I could come out here and warn you."

"I can't believe this is happening," she sighed. When she remembered everyone else was there, she froze. "Right, Marley you remember Noah. And these are his friends, Finn, Mike, Tina, Santana, Brittany, and his daughter Beth. Everyone this is my sister, Marley."

Puck walked over to Marley. "Wow Marley you grew old on me."

She rolled her eyes and hugged him. "Yeah but you'll always be older than me."

"So both of you knew Puck when he was a kid?" Finn asked.

"Okay I have to hear some embarrassing stories about him ASAP," Santana smirked. "We've seen the pictures but he's always forced his mom not to tell us anything about him during that time."

Puck shook his head but when he noticed Rachel's face, he remembered what Marley just told them and walked over to her. "Rachel?"

She looked at him. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

"I have to leave. I'm ruining your birthday but I have to get out of here," she said before running upstairs.

Puck went after her and found her grabbing her suitcase and throwing clothes into it. "Rachel can you stop and talk to me for a minute?"

"My mother is coming, Puck. She's changed from the woman you knew when we were kids, when she finds out I'm with you she'll tear you apart."

"If I can deal with Quinn I'm sure I can deal with her." When he saw that Rachel still wasn't listening, he grabbed her hands to get her to stop and look at him. "Look I know you're scared. But don't you think it's time to stand up to your mom once and for all? I mean this is your life not hers. You don't have to do everything she says. You used to sneak out and sing at clubs without her permission and when she found out, what did you always tell her?"

"I love music too much to follow the rules," she said, smiling a little at the memory before frowning. "I don't even remember that girl anymore. My career has always been about making everyone else happy and doing what they want me to do. It never really felt like it was my dream I was living."

"Don't you think it's time you start living that dream? You've got one shot, babe. Do it the way you want." Rachel thought for a moment before pulling Puck in for a deep kiss. When they pulled away, he stared at her. "Was that a goodbye kiss?"

She shook her head. "No. It was my way of saying thank you for talking some sense into me. I think I've been hiding out here for long enough. I think it's time for me to go back instead of having my mother force me back."

He nodded. "Good, I think you're right."

Remembering Santana and Puck's conversation from the bowling alley, she looked at him. "Come with me."

"What?" he asked, shocked.

"You and Beth come to New York with me. I mean it's almost the summer anyway so it's not like you have to worry about school."

"Rachel I-"

"Rachel," Beth said, running in and hugging her. "Please don't leave. We're having so much fun together."

Rachel looked up at Puck who didn't seem to know what to say. Before she could figure out what to say, Puck spoke up.

"Beth it's time for Rachel to go home," he said, making Beth and Rachel frown. "And we're going with her."

Both of them snapped their heads up to look at Puck. "Seriously?"

Rachel walked over to him. "Are you sure?"

"Hey someone has to go and make sure you don't turn back into something you're not. You're too amazing for that."

She jumped up and hugged him. "Thank you so much."

"I want Beth to finish the schoolyear though."

"Of course and since Marley changed my mom's flight we have time. I guess we should let everyone know."

They went downstairs and announced the decision to everyone. Marley was ecstatic that her sister was finally coming home and Beth couldn't contain her excitement about going to New York. While everyone was trying to get to know Marley, Puck pulled Santana to the side.

"Do you think you can watch Beth tonight?" he asked.

She smirked. "Need to have some birthday sex with the superstar?"

"No," he said quickly before thinking about it. "Actually hopefully yes but that's not why. I can tell Rachel is still not fully confident in herself when it comes to finally standing up to her mother so I need to do something to help boost her confidence. And I think I have a pretty good idea. Plus, Beth has been asking when she can spend the night with you and Brittany again ever since you guys gave her all that candy that Quinn yelled at me about."

She laughed. "Hey that's what godparents are for. But sure I'll take her. Only because I'm glad you finally got some balls and said yes to going with her. This will be good for both you and Beth."

Puck looked back at Beth who was talking to Marley and sighed. "I sure hope so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That night after everyone left, Rachel was talking to Marley in her room.

"I can't believe Puck is actually coming back to New York with us," Marley said. "He must really love you."

Rachel shrugged. "Well we haven't reached that milestone of our relationship yet."

"Rach a guy doesn't move across the country to be with his girlfriend unless there's some kind of love there. Trust me, he's in love. And Beth loves you so that's a plus."

"She's the greatest little girl I've ever met. She actually reminds me a lot of me when I was her age."

"I guess that means Puck is going to have his hands full when she gets older," she smirked as Rachel threw a pillow at her.

As they laughed, Puck knocked on the door. "Am I interrupting?"

Rachel shook her head. "Not at all."

"Puck thanks again for letting me stay while we wait to go to New York," Marley said. "I really appreciate it."

He waved her off. "No problem. Besides, Rachel stays in my bedroom now anyway so it's not like the guest room isn't open."

"Well in that case I will be wearing headphones when I go to sleep at night."

"Hey don't forget who taught you all these comebacks," he joked before turning to Rachel. "I have a surprise for you."

She raised an eyebrow. "For me? Isn't today your birthday?"

"Yes but I expect my gift later on tonight. Now come on before we're late."

Without another word, he walked out leaving Rachel confused. She looked at Marley. "Do you know anything?"

Marley shook her head. "Nope. But it sounds like something good so go. Have fun."

Rachel went and followed Puck out to his truck. She questioned him the whole ride but he wouldn't budge. When he finally pulled up to a building, she looked at him confused.

"Where are we?"

"Come inside and find out," he replied.

"Wait but I don't have my disguise."

He shrugged. "Your mom already knows where you are. No need to hide you anymore."

Realizing he had a point, she followed him inside. When she saw that there was a stage and a microphone at the front, she quickly turned to Puck.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"You're going to get up there and sing. Already signed you up."

Her eyes widened. "What? Why? I haven't done anything like this in years."

"Exactly. You wanted to get back to your roots, these are your roots. You used to sneak out to sing at any place you could get into which was pretty hard for a twelve-year-old but you managed to do it."

She laughed. "Yeah and then I would eventually get busted."

"Either way, being onstage is where you're most alive. Go up there and get that feeling back. Be that girl who just wanted to perform no matter what it cost her."

The DJ spoke into the microphone to get everyone's attention. "Next on the mic we have musical royalty with us tonight who's come to visit her hometown. Everyone give it up for Rachel Berry."

Everyone applauded as she walked to the stage and went to the DJ to whisper something to him. As she took the microphone she tried to shake out the last bit of nerves she had. "Hello everyone. It's been a long, long time since I've done anything like this so go easy on me."

As the music started, Rachel felt herself getting nervous but when she found Puck in the crowd, she smiled before singing.

 _Loving you  
Isn't the right thing to do  
How can I ever change things  
That I feel_

 _If I could_  
 _Maybe I'd give you my world_  
 _How can I_  
 _When you won't take it from me_

As she began to get comfortable, Rachel remembered the feeling of being onstage and not needing to impress anyone but the people she was performing for. She didn't need to worry about her mother or the label or anyone else who wanted to mold her into something she wasn't.

 _You can go your own way  
Go your own way  
You can call it  
Another lonely day  
You can go your own way  
Go your own way_

Puck smiled as Rachel got into the song and went off stage into the crowd. Everyone was enjoying the performance and she definitely knew how to work the crowd. Just like she could when they were kids.

 _Tell me why  
Everything turned around  
Packing up,  
Shacking up's all you wanna do_

 _If I could_  
 _Baby I'd give you my world_  
 _Open up_  
 _Everything's waiting for you_

 _You can go your own way_  
 _Go your own way_  
 _You can call it_  
 _Another lonely day_  
 _You can go your own way_  
 _Go your own way_

During the instrumental break, Rachel could feel herself letting loose and moving to the music. She had never felt so happy and free and she loved it.

 _Hey_

 _You can go your own way  
Go your own way  
You can call it  
Another lonely day  
You can go your own way  
Go your own way  
You can call it  
Another lonely day  
_

 _Hooo oh oh oh_

 _Hooo oh oh oh_

 _Hooo oh oh oh_

 _You can go your own way (You can go, you can go)  
Oh Oh  
You can call it  
Another lonely day (Call it another lonely day)  
You can go your own way  
Go your own way_

The room burst into applause as Rachel smiled. It felt just like old times. The applause was always important to her because it let her know how people felt about her performance and clearly they loved it. After she took her final bows, she ran into Puck's arms.

"Thank you so much," she said. "I forgot how much I missed stuff like this."

"Enough to stand up to your mom?"

"Absolutely. I want this back and I'm not going to let anyone take it away from me again."

"That's my girl," he smiled before hugging her again. "So does this mean I get a proper happy birthday before the day is officially over?"

She smirked. "How fast can you get us home?"

Instead of responding, he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder before running out of the bar. Tonight assured Rachel that she was ready for anything that was going to come her way when she went home. Especially if Puck was by her side.

 **Song used is Go Your Own Way Glee version. Let me know your thoughts. Bye for now :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 13

As he and Beth packed for New York, Puck still couldn't believe any of this was happening. He was going to New York to be with his superstar girlfriend. Even though he felt crazy for it, something about it felt right. He knew this is what they were supposed to be doing.

"Dad?" Beth said, getting his attention. He looked at her. "Did Mom leave because of me?"

Trying to get over the shock, Puck shook his head. "No, why would you think that?"

"She left and she doesn't talk to me. Is she mad at me because I called you to come get me that night?"

"No, that's not it at all." He took her into his arms. "Mom left because she knew that she scared you that night and she felt terrible about it. She wants to get better at handling her emotions so she can be a better mom for you. That's why she left."

"But what if she comes back and can't find me because we're in New York? Then she'll think I left her."

"She won't. She has my number and all she has to do is call and I'll tell her where we are."

Beth nodded. "So she's not mad at me?"

"Baby girl I promise you your mom is not angry with you. She's upset with herself and she has to get better so she can take care of you. But until then, you have me and you know I love you very much right?"

"Right," she smiled. "And I have Rachel now too."

"Exactly. Now let's take a break from all this packing and go get some ice cream."

She nodded and they left. When they came back, Beth went to go hang out with Marley in the backyard while Puck sat at the table as Rachel made dinner.

"Are you and Beth packed and ready to go?" she asked.

"Almost, just need a few more things," he said, distractedly.

Rachel looked at him. "You okay?"

"Am I doing the right thing? Taking Beth and following you to New York? What if Quinn comes and wants her back?"

"Do you really think that'll happen? I mean Quinn's been gone for almost a month with no contact with you or Beth. Do you really think she'll come back?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. But if she does? I mean she's going to be pissed that I just up and took Beth to New York without consulting her."

"Hey as far as I'm concerned, Quinn gave you full parental control when she decided to leave. You can't live your life in fear of what she might do or say once she finds out if she ever does."

Realizing that she was right, Puck nodded and kissed her on the cheek. A few days later, they were on a flight to New York. As they prepared to land, Puck looked over at Rachel and could tell she was anxious.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked.

"What if they drop me from the label because of this stunt? I mean they could say I'm difficult to work with and decide not to do anymore business with me."

He sighed. "Babe even if that happened you'd be okay. Your voice is so special that I'm sure another label would be dying to pick you up."

"And my mother, she probably won't even look at me."

"Hey." She turned to look at him. "You can do this. You did nothing wrong with taking time away from everyone. Now that you're coming back you're going to be better than you've ever been. And I'll be right there the whole time."

She smiled and took a deep breath as they landed. When the cab brought them to the label, Rachel grasped Puck's hand tightly as they got out and went inside. When they came across the office where Shelby was yelling at the private investigators, Puck looked at Marley and Beth.

"Marley maybe you should take Beth and show her around."

"Yeah sure," she said before taking Beth's hand and walking away.

Puck looked at Rachel. "You ready?"

She hesitantly nodded and took his hand before walking into the room. As soon as she came in, Shelby went silent and from the look on her face, Rachel knew she was in trouble. Seeing that Rachel was back, the private investigators quickly left.

"Hi Mom," she said nervously.

"Hi? Rachel Barbra is that really all you have to say? Because you have a lot of explaining to do. And who is this?" she asked, motioning to Puck.

"Um you remember Noah Puckerman from when Marley and I were kids."

Shelby's eyebrows raised as she looked at Puck again. "Oh Noah I barely recognized you. How is your mother?"

"She's great, thanks for asking."

Turning her focus back to Rachel she frowned. "Where on earth have you been all this time? Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Worried about my wellbeing or the many events you had to cancel?"

"Don't turn this on me young lady you are the one that disappeared to god knows where."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I went home to Ohio. Puck let me stay with him and his daughter."

"You have a child?" she asked Puck and he nodded. "Well then you must understand how it would feel for a mother to discover her child just up and disappeared."

"To be fair Mrs. Berry, Rachel seemed like she needed an escape from all of this. I didn't want to take that away from her."

Shelby glared at Rachel. "Is that what you told him? What possessed you to even pull a stunt like this? You know Brody has gone off and found someone else because of your little disappearance."

"And I wish that girl the best of luck and hope they have the same size egos," she replied. "Brody only cared about himself anyway, it's not like I was happy with him. I couldn't sit in another interview and fake my feelings for him. You weren't listening to anything I was saying so I knew the only way to get away from everything was to leave so I did."

Shelby groaned. "Rachel do you have any idea how fortunate you are to be as big a star as you are? The label could've dropped you for acting like this."

"I don't care. This isn't about them, it's about me. I want to do things my way, not theirs or yours. I came back because I'm ready to get back to what I love and I'm not going to let any of you take it away from me again."

Puck smiled at Rachel. She was finally standing up for herself and he knew Shelby was in shock.

Shelby looked between the two and frowned. "I'm confused. Noah if you live in Ohio why are you here and where is your daughter?"

Before Puck could answer, Rachel stepped in. "I asked him to come back with me because I could use my boyfriend's support while I get back to work."

"Boyfriend? I'm sorry Noah, can I have a moment alone with Rachel?"

Rachel shook her head. "No anything you say to me you can say in front of Puck."

"Rach it's fine," he told her. "I should go find Beth anyway."

"Beth?" Shelby asked.

"My daughter. She's around here somewhere with Marley."

Ignoring her look of confusion, he kissed Rachel's cheek before walking out of the room. Shelby turned to her daughter.

"Okay please explain to me what is going on. Why is Noah here with his daughter and where is her mother?"

"As of right now we don't know where she is. She left Beth with us almost a month ago and we haven't heard from her since. Puck and Beth are going to be staying with me this summer, maybe even permanently."

"Rachel have you lost your mind? You can't afford this kind of distraction especially with the Star Awards coming up."

She shook her head. "I don't even know if I'm nominated for an award yet."

"That's why we need your face out there as much as possible and with you running away, it might not happen. You can't let Puck and his daughter stay if you want to get nominated."

Seeing her mother is still concerned with her career, Rachel knew she had to stand her ground. "I'm a grown woman, I don't need your permission. Puck and Beth are staying with me and that's final. Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to go home."

Without another word, she walked out and went to find Marley, Puck and Beth. When she found them, Beth ran over to her.

"Rachel this place is so cool. I can't wait to get a chance to be in a recording studio."

She thought for a moment. "What if that chance happens sooner than you think?"

"Rachel," Puck frowned.

"No Puck I got this. Got to make this trip worth it, right?" she smirked before looking back at Beth. "Let's get a song going for you and I'll have you in the studio as soon as possible. That's if your dad is okay with it."

"Please Daddy?" she asked with wide eyes.

Rachel and Marley tried to hold back their laughs from Puck starting to crack as he sighed. "Okay I don't see why not."

Beth jumped up and hugged him and Rachel excitedly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"Okay well I'm kind of tired and would like to get out of here. Would you two like to see where I live?" Rachel asked Puck and Beth and they nodded. As they said their goodbyes to Marley and walked away, Rachel turned to hug her sister. "Thank you so much for everything. I know keeping my secret couldn't have been easy and I really appreciate it."

"We're sisters, it's our job to have each other's backs. But you're welcome," she smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, go enjoy showing Puck and Beth the wonders of celebrity life."

Rachel giggled before walking away to catch up with Puck and Beth. She loved the fact that they were here and she finally stood up to her mother. So far coming home has gotten off to a good start.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

When they pulled up at her mansion, Rachel took a deep breath. It's been a while since she's been inside and before she left she was living with Brody. Now that he was with someone else, she hoped that he had already came and got his stuff.

When they walked inside, Beth gaped at the home. "You live here? This is awesome."

"Wait until you see what's out back," Rachel told her as she led them to the backyard where there was a pool. She looked at Beth who was clearly getting more and more excited and smirked. "You can swim, right?"

Beth turned to Puck. "Dad please?"

He laughed at her eagerness. "Go find your bathing suit." As she ran away, he looked at Rachel. "I'm very interested in seeing how any of this could've made you run away."

She gave a small smile. "All that glitters isn't gold. Come on, let me show you my room."

As they went upstairs, Rachel scanned the halls and different rooms for any of Brody's stuff. When she didn't see any, she was relieved knowing he had completely left. When they got to her room, she looked at Puck.

"So what do you think?"

"How close is Beth's room?" he asked.

She thought about it. "I can put her down the hall so she won't hear much."

"Then it's perfect," he smiled before kissing her.

The doorbell rang, interrupting them. When Rachel opened the door, she frowned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Word's out that you're back," Brody smirked. "Knew you couldn't stay away. Can I come in?"

"No you cannot. You can leave and go back to your model girlfriend."

"Come on Rachel, don't be like that. She was just temporary until you got back. Now that you're here we can pick up where we left off."

He tried to lean in but Rachel pushed him back. "Brody we're done. I've moved on."

Before he could say anything, Puck walked over to her. "Hey everything okay?"

Rachel nodded. "Yeah Brody was just leaving."

Seeing what was going on, Puck nodded in understanding. "Okay well I'll be in the back with Beth. Let me know if you need me."

She nodded as he walked away before turning back to Brody. "So like I was saying, you can go."

"Wait seriously?" Brody laughed. "You're slumming it with that guy?"

"Not that it's any of your business but Puck is my boyfriend. He's who I ran away to."

"And who's Beth, an old friend?"

"None of your business Brody. Now get the hell out of here before I call Puck back here to throw you out."

He glared at her. "You're going to regret this Rachel. That's a promise."

"Goodbye," she said, pushing him out and closing the door behind him.

When she went out to the pool, she smiled when she saw Beth swimming and having fun. When Beth noticed her, she smiled.

"This is awesome. How often do you come out here?" the little girl asked.

"Not too often," she said as she sat on the chair next to Puck. "I never have time unfortunately."

As Beth went under water, Puck looked at Rachel. "So, that was the ex-boyfriend huh?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I can't believe he had the nerve to show his face here."

"Well maybe he wanted to see if you'd take him back," he joked as she nudged him. "Anyway, are you really going to let Beth record a song?"

"Yeah why not? She has a really great voice and I'm sure she'd love the experience." Seeing Puck's hesitance, Rachel frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Beth's just really young. I don't want her thinking that she'll get discovered or something."

"I understand. Don't worry I'll assure her that all of this is for fun."

"Thanks. And please make sure whatever she sings is age-appropriate."

"Absolutely," she nodded before kissing him.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, Rachel brought Beth to the studio and couldn't help but laugh at how excited the little girl was.

"I can't believe I'm actually here," Beth smiled.

"Well believe it. You are about to record your first song and I had my best guys produce the music to make it like what we came up with. So, are you ready?"

"Definitely," she jumped up, rushing into the studio and putting the headphones on.

"Can you hear me?" Rachel asked through the headphones. Beth nodded. "Okay don't feel pressure to get it right on the first try. Just do what feels natural."

"Got it," she nodded as she heard the music start.

 _On a scale from 1 to 10, I am perfect like I am.  
I don't need your number, we don't need your number.  
And the stupid magazines, want me to change my everything.  
It don't even matter, they're not taking my power.  
I'm so over all of these voices around,  
They've said enough it's my turn let's get loud._

 _I'll show you what a girl is, 'cause all of me is perfect._  
 _Who cares about the dress size, it's all about what's inside._  
 _I'll stand up now, and won't back down._  
 _We're breaking through the surface, to show you what a girl is._

Rachel smiled in shock at how well Beth was doing. It was like she was a professional in the studio which was impressive for someone her age.

 _We are flawless in our skin, your words don't mean anything.  
I'm done wasting my time, I can make up my own mind.  
I'm so over all of these voices around,  
They've said enough it's my turn let's get loud._

 _I'll show you what a girl is, 'cause all of me is perfect._  
 _Who cares about the dress size, it's all about what's inside._  
 _I'll stand up now, and won't back down._  
 _We're breaking through the surface, to show you what a girl is._

Beth was so comfortable in the booth that she moved along to the music. Rachel could tell she was having the time of her life.

 _You are exactly what you're made to be, I swear._  
 _Don't be afraid just to put yourself out there._

 _It's pretty clear that you won't see us on the sidelines._  
 _We're gonna take it over standing like a high-rise._  
 _And if you ever doubt what a girl can do,_  
 _Sit back and let us show you, it's been really nice to know you._  
 _No doubt, we're a force that's undeniable._  
 _Get together we'll work this house to bring it down on you._  
 _I've got a feeling that we're gonna be there for you._  
 _Sit back and let us show you cause the girls are taking over._

 _On a scale from 1 to 10, I am perfect like I am._  
 _I don't need your number, we don't need your number._

 _I'll show you what a girl is, cause all of me is perfect._  
 _Who cares about the dress size, it's all about what's inside._  
 _I'll stand up now, and won't back down._  
 _We're breaking through the surface, to show you what a girl is._  
 _We're breaking through the surface, to show you what a girl is._

"How was that?" Beth asked.

"That was perfect Beth," Rachel smiled. "Very impressive. Do you want to hear?"

She nodded and came out of the booth as one of the engineers started playing the song. As Beth was amazed at how she sounded, Rachel felt her phone vibrate and saw that it was Puck calling.

"Hey she just finished and was absolutely amazing," she giggled.

"That's good. But we have a problem."

"What's wrong?"

"You should probably go find a TV and turn on the entertainment channel."

She excused herself from the crew and took Beth with her as she went to the lobby of the building where there was a TV on. Rachel frowned when she saw it was Brody on the screen with an interviewer.

"So I'm going to get personal here and ask about your love life because that's what all the fans love to hear about," the interviewer joked. "You're single?"

"Yes I am," he nodded.

"What happened between you and Rachel? We haven't seen you two together in a while."

"Well she actually went to hide from everyone in the old small town she grew up in. There I guess you could say she became involved with someone else."

"Oh wow. Were you two still together at the time?"

"I thought we were but I guess that was her way of ending it. Now she's back, living with the guy and a kid who I presume to be his."

"That son of a bitch," Rachel mumbled into her phone. "I'm on my way home."

Not waiting for a response from Puck, she hung up the phone and took Beth's hand before leaving the building. When they got back to the mansion, Rachel began pacing back and forth across the living room as she got on the phone with her publicist.

"Why is Rachel so upset?" Beth asked Puck.

"She's just having some issues with some people," he said as the doorbell rang. He went to open it and tried to smile at who it was. "Hi Mrs. Berry."

"Hello Noah," she said, walking straight in. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Beth. "You must be Beth."

Puck walked in. "Beth this is Rachel's mom, Mrs. Berry."

"It's nice to meet you young lady," Shelby said, shaking her hand. "What do you think of New York so far?"

"It's awesome. Rachel even let me record a song today," the little girl smiled proudly.

"Oh well you'll have to let me hear you sing sometime."

"That can be arranged," she replied.

Seeing that Rachel was getting off the phone, Puck turned to Beth. "Hey why don't you go upstairs and watch a movie?"

Beth nodded and went upstairs as Shelby looked at Puck. "Well she's adorable. She likes to sing?"

"Loves it. She's really good for her age."

"Well hopefully she doesn't get herself in the situations my daughter gets herself into," she frowned, looking at Rachel. "You know you should've seen this coming."

"Yeah well I was hoping Brody would walk away quietly but I guess that was wishful thinking," she rolled her eyes.

"Now you look like a cheater. How do you expect to bounce back from this before the nominations for the Star Awards?"

"Mom would you forget about the stupid awards for a minute? I didn't want Puck and Beth exposed to all of this and now they are."

"Well did you actually break up with Brody before you started this thing with Noah?" she asked, condescendingly.

Rachel glared at her. "Of course I did, I'm not that kind of person and I would think my own mother would know that."

"Well after that disappearing stunt I don't think I do know you as well as I thought I did."

"You know what? If you're not going to help, please leave. I can't deal with you right now."

Without another word, Shelby hugged and walked out slamming the door behind her.

Puck walked over to Rachel. "Hey it's going to be okay. What'd your publicist say?"

"I should do an interview of my own to set the record straight. I can't believe I'm dealing with all of this already, I just got back. We should've stayed in Ohio."

"Babe either way you were going to have to come back."

"Yeah but not until I was ready. You forced me to come back to quickly and now things are just like they were before I left."

He backed away, confused. "Wait you think this is my fault?"

"You were the one saying I should come back. I wanted to run away to another location but you just had to make me come back. Probably just wanted to get a free trip to New York and have something for you and Beth to do during the summer."

"I hope you're not serious." When Rachel stayed silent, Puck shook his head. "Wow."

He walked away, wanting to get away before he said something he'd regret. He figured she didn't mean anything she was saying but he couldn't believe she'd actually let that thought creep into her mind. That good start was over.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 15

Rachel walked out back to find Puck sitting at the pool and sighed before going over to him.

"I guess you can see that I don't deal with stress very well," she said. He stayed silent as she sat in the chair next to him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten so upset with you when you've done nothing wrong. You didn't force me to do anything and I shouldn't have said that you did."

He hesitated before speaking. "I may not be a huge star like you but I do know it's common to take your stress and frustrations out on whoever is around at the time. I would just rather not be that person when all I've been doing is helping you."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

He leaned over and kissed her. "It's forgotten. So when are you going to do the interview to clear up these rumors?"

"My publicist is getting it set up for Friday. But I was thinking and it might be a good idea for you to come and do the interview with me."

"Me? On TV?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah why not? You're good at diffusing a situation, I mean you're a cop."

"Rachel I don't know."

"Please? Look, these tabloids can be pretty cruel and I don't want them to turn this into something it's not."

He thought about it before sighing. "Okay fine. But I don't want to talk about Beth just yet. Now while Quinn is still out there somewhere."

"Okay I'll let them know it's off-limits. I promise I'll make this up to you."

"Could you maybe make it up to me tonight?" he smirked.

She laughed. "I don't see why not. Now would you like to hear how Beth did today?"

"Absolutely," he nodded before getting up and going back in the house.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A few days later, they were at a studio preparing to go on television to give an interview about their relationship. Puck never imagined ever going on TV to explain his relationship to anyone but then again, he never imagined he'd be dating a celebrity.

As he was getting prepared, Rachel walked over to him. "Hey how are you feeling?"

"A little nervous. I never imagined I'd be doing something like this."

"Just relax, I've done a ton of interviews with Lisa and she's a sweetheart. It's actually really easy, just tell the truth. I've already told them that talking about Beth is off-limits so we should be good."

"Great," he nodded as the crew motioned for them to take their seats on stage as the introduction to the show started.

Lisa looked at the camera and started the show. "Good evening New York, I have a special treat tonight. Superstar Rachel Berry has joined us along with her rumored boyfriend. They are here to give us the real story of how this all happened. Rachel how is everything?"

"Everything is going great right now, actually. I'm back and ready to make even better music than what I was making before."

"Now you've recently come back from a disappearance from the public eye. Tell us what caused you to make that decision?"

"I was just becoming overwhelmed with everything, you know? Being a superstar is so much work and pressure and I needed to take time away from the spotlight before I really cracked. So I went back to the place all of this began."

"That place being your hometown of Lima, Ohio?"

She nodded. "Yes. I went home and it was like I got to know myself all over again. Not as Rachel Berry, the superstar, but Rachel Berry, the girl who just wanted to sing."

"And along the way you found love," Lisa said, motioning to Puck.

Rachel smiled looking at him before looking back at her. "Yes. Noah is a childhood friend of mine who I lost touch with when I went to pursue my dream. But when I needed him the most, he was there."

Lisa nodded. "Now a while ago Brody was giving an interview saying that he was cheated on while you were in Ohio. What do you say to that claim?"

"It's a lie," she shook her head. "Brody and I were over and he had already started dating a model in my absence so why shouldn't I move on as well?"

"That is a good point. Noah how did it feel to have Rachel Berry appear on your doorstep after all these years?"

"Oh I was shocked," he laughed. "I had no idea what was going on with her so when she showed up, I was pretty confused but once she explained everything I wanted to help her so I let her stay with me."

"And you two just fell in love after that?"

"It took a while but yeah I guess so."

"Tell us, how has it been having Rachel as a girlfriend? Like I said, she's a superstar and now that she's back I'm sure this is a different life and different girl from what you knew."

"Oh yeah, definitely different life. But I wouldn't say a different girl." Lisa looked at him confused, so he continued. "While the world sees this big superstar, I see the girl I grew up with who just wanted to perform for everyone. That hasn't changed no matter how big she becomes and I think that's what I love the most about reconnecting with her. No matter how successful she is, she's still that same girl I still get blown away by when I see her perform."

Rachel smiled at him as Lisa nodded. "Well Rachel it looks like you have a keeper here."

"I certainly do," she smiled.

The rest of the interview went smoothly and Rachel felt much better about the world knowing about her relationship with Puck. When they left the studio, they went to Marley's apartment to get Beth.

"Hey we watched the interview," Marley said as she let them in. "You guys did great. Especially you, Puck. You looked like a pro."

"Thanks, but I'm far from it. All I know is I don't plan on doing that again."

"Hopefully you won't have to," Rachel said.

"Anyway, thanks for watching Beth," he told Marley. "I didn't want anyone to think that if we brought her we could talk about her."

"No problem, we had fun."

Beth came over to them. "Dad Marley and I painted, do you want to see what we made?"

"Sure munchkin, show me."

She took his hand and walked away as Marley turned to Rachel. "You got him sprung."

"Why do you say that?"

"Puck hates being in the spotlight but he went on television for you. Trust me, he's sprung. Clearly he'd do anything for you so don't mess this up."

Rachel rolled her eyes as Puck and Beth came back with her painting. They said their goodbyes to Marley and went back to Rachel's house. When they got there, Beth ran to put her stuff away as Rachel and Puck went into the kitchen.

"So why don't you have any cooks like other celebrities do?" he asked, sitting on a stool as she put out food to cook for dinner.

"I don't like people waiting on me in my own home. Besides I like to cook." Before he could respond, the doorbell rang. "Can you get that? It could be my mom coming to congratulate me on how great the interview went."

"Oh then we should just leave her outside," Puck smirked before going to the door. When he opened it, he froze. "Quinn."

"Hey Puck," she replied.

"What are you doing here? In New York?"

"Not going to invite me in?" she asked. He opened the door wider for her to walk in. "Well I tried going to your house but when I kept not getting an answer, I contacted Tina and she told me everything."

"Puck who's at the door?" Rachel asked, walking in. When she saw Quinn, her jaw dropped. "Quinn, hi."

Quinn smiled slightly. "Hello Rachel. This is a really nice place you have here. Really different from Puck's little house in Ohio."

Puck shook his head. "Well the time away didn't change the snipes you constantly have to give."

Sensing the tension, Rachel tried to back out. "I think I'll just leave you two to talk."

"No stay. This concerns you too," Quinn told her before looking back at Puck. "In what world did you think it would be okay to take my daughter across the country and not tell me?"

"Okay first, she's our daughter. I have just as much a say in where she goes as you do. Second, you left her with me and I haven't heard from you since so how I was going to tell you? Your phone has been disconnected."

She shook her head. "That doesn't mean you can just up and move Beth across the country just to be with your girlfriend."

"I didn't move her anywhere, this is just for the summer. I have no intention of actually moving to New York."

Rachel frowned. She knew that Puck and Beth being there was meant to be for the summer but she was hoping that he would want to stay with her even after the summer was over. It was wishful thinking but she hoped there was some way to make it work out.

"You brought her here without my knowledge and if you think that I'm going to allow this to continue, you're wrong," Quinn told him. "I want Beth to pack her things so she can come home with me."

"Now wait a minute, we have joint custody. I have as much right to her as you do. Maybe even more so considering you abandoned her."

She went silent for a moment for nodding. "Okay since we obviously disagree about this, I guess we'll need to go to court. I want full custody."

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 16

Puck shook his head. "You can't have custody all because you're pissed at me and want revenge."

"This isn't about revenge," Quinn shook her head. "It's about making sure Beth comes first and you're not just making these decisions just to please your girlfriend who probably won't be around for much longer anyway."

"You don't know anything about our relationship Quinn," Rachel cut in, defensively. "We'll probably last longer than you did with your boyfriend."

"And Beth will always come first to me," Puck followed. "I won't leave her scared to death because I'm acting like a crazy person and throwing things around just because I'm upset. Think a judge will award you custody then?"

"Guess we'll just have to see about that," she replied.

Before another word could be said, Beth came down the stairs and immediately ran into Quinn's arms. "Mom!"

"Hi sweetheart. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too. I thought you weren't ever going to come back."

Quinn pulled away and dropped down to her daughter's level. "I could never leave you for good. You're my angel and I need my angel with me."

"Are you going to stay in New York with us?"

"Yeah I'll be staying for a little while at a hotel. That way I can see you."

"Awesome," the little girl smiled.

"Beth why don't you go get ready for bed?" Puck told her.

"Can Mom come with me? I want to show her my room."

Even though he wanted nothing more than for Quinn to leave, he nodded. "Of course."

She took Quinn's hand and led her up the stairs as Puck groaned and sat in the living room. "I can't believe this is happening."

"I mean we knew she was going to come back sooner or later. In this case it just happened to be sooner," Rachel said, sitting next to him. "No judge will ever grant her custody after she abandoned Beth."

"I know but…what if Beth wants to be with her? I've loved having her full time without Quinn interfering. But Beth's really missed her so it's likely that she'll choose to go back home with her."

Rachel hesitated before speaking. "Speaking of home, did you really mean what you said about never moving to New York permanently?"

"Well you know this was a summer thing. Beth's only known Ohio and her family that's there. To make her move to New York fulltime would be a selfish move on my part and I don't want to do that to her."

"So what about us? Are you planning on making a long-distance relationship work or are you just going to break up with me at the end of the summer?"

Puck sighed. "Rachel please don't do this right now. I have so much going through my mind right now, I really can't deal with us fighting about something that hasn't even come up yet."

Even though she didn't want to drop the subject, Rachel knew this was the wrong time to have this discussion. She nodded as Quinn and Beth came back downstairs.

"Mom's leaving," Beth said.

"So soon?" Puck replied sarcastically.

Quinn smirked. "Don't worry I'll be back."

She hugged Beth one last time before sending a knowing look to Puck and Rachel and walking out of the house. Puck turned to Beth.

"Munchkin come here for a second," he told her. She went and sat on the couch next to him. "Want to talk to you about something. I know you've missed your mom and now that she's back, you probably want to spend some time with her."

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Would you want to go back home with her? Like when she goes back to Ohio, would you want to go back with her?"

She shrugged. "Yeah all of us will be going home anyway."

Seeing that she wasn't understanding, Puck sighed. "Beth, Rachel's home is New York. She's already home so she wouldn't be coming back with us."

"Oh," Beth frowned. "Will you be coming back?"

He hesitated. "Probably not right away. I'd be here for the rest of the summer before I come back so it would just be you and your mom."

"Well I missed Mom but I don't want to go back without you and Rachel. I like being here with you guys."

Relieved to hear that, he nodded. "Okay. Go get ready for bed, I'll be up in a minute."

"Okay. Good night Rachel," she smiled.

"Night Beth," the older woman replied as Beth ran upstairs. She turned to Puck. "Feel better?"

"A little. I just need Quinn to understand that and then everything will be fine."

"She will. You can't stress yourself out about this, especially around Beth. Don't get her worked up too."

Realizing she was right, he nodded. "I'll see you upstairs."

As he walked up the stairs, Rachel sighed to herself. If Puck somehow lost custody of Beth, he would lose his mind and she knew it. She just wasn't sure how to help the situation.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Rachel left Puck and Beth at her place and went to have lunch with Marley to tell her about Quinn.

"I'm telling you, it was like Puck went numb the rest of the night," she told her. "He wouldn't even hold me when we went to bed, he just laid there and didn't say a word."

"Well he's worried. Beth is his world and I'm sure he's terrified he'll lose her."

"I know, I just wish I could help. He wouldn't even be in this mess if it wasn't for me."

Marley shook her head. "That was a choice Puck made himself. You didn't force him to get on a plane and come here with you."

"I guess it doesn't come as a surprise that he's not planning on moving here after the summer is over."

"I thought you knew that already?"

"Yeah but I was just hoping that he'd stay here with me. I feel so much calmer about all this stuff when he's around."

Her sister gave a sympathetic look. "I understand that he helps but Puck has obligations. You have to support him no matter what."

"I hate when you're right," Rachel groaned. "I'm older, I'm supposed to be wiser."

Marley laughed as they continued with their lunch. Meanwhile back at the mansion, Puck was listening to Beth practice the piano when the doorbell rang.

When he opened it and saw Quinn, he groaned. "I was hoping you went back home."

"Not without Beth," she replied, walking in. "Where's Rachel?"

"Having lunch with her sister, why?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something. Alone."

Before he could say anything else, Beth ran to Quinn. "Hey Mom."

"Hi honey. Can you give me and your dad a minute alone? Then we can go for our mani-pedis."

She nodded and ran upstairs as Quinn and Puck walked to the kitchen.

"Anything to drink?" he asked, trying to be polite.

"No I'm fine."

"So what'd you want to talk about?"

"Well while I was away I did some thinking about my life and everything that's happened with us. We never had a real shot at being a family with Beth and I hate that."

"Yeah well as I recall, it was your fault. You treated me like dirt when I just wanted to help you and raise our daughter."

She nodded. "I know and I deeply regret that. After my parents kicked me out I just broke and I wish it didn't happen."

Puck hesitated. "So what, are you apologizing or something?"

"I'm apologizing and I'm saying that I want another chance."

"I'm sorry?" he raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean another chance?"

"I want us to raise Beth together as a family. Both of us want her so rather than go through the courts for this decision, why not raise her together?"

"Quinn do you realize everything you did to me? You put me through hell the first year of her life, why should I give you another chance?"

"Because I was a hurt little girl back then." She took his hand in hers. "I was shunned by everyone and I didn't know how to handle it so I lashed out at you which I'm really sorry for. I realize that you were the only one who truly wanted to be with me and you didn't deserve that."

He pulled his hand away. "And what about after that when you constantly bashed my parenting skills?"

She sighed. "I was jealous of you. You've had this parenting thing down from the moment Beth was born and it doesn't seem like I have it in me. You're always so great with her and she always comes back to me talking about the fun things you do with her and I just became jealous."

Puck ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know whether or not he should believe what Quinn was telling him or tell her to get out. "And what about Rachel? I'm sure you've noticed we're together."

She shrugged. "Would you rather try to make this long-distance thing work with her and risk it not working or would you rather make things right with the mother of your child and give your daughter the family she's been wanting? Judging by Rachel's fame, it would only be a matter of time before she stopped having time for you."

"Quinn-"

"Look you don't need to give me an answer now. I'm in town for the next two days anyway so let me know."

Puck nodded as Quinn called Beth downstairs so that they could leave. After they left, he sighed and sat on the couch. He couldn't believe that any of that just happened and as much as he wanted to be with Rachel and try to make their relationship work after he goes back to Ohio, Quinn was offering him the one thing he's wanted since Beth was born: a chance to give his kid the family he never had.

 **What do you think of Quinn's proposal? Authentic or manipulation? Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 17

When Rachel got home later that day, she smiled when she found Puck in the living room, laying on the couch.

"I could get used to this," she said, walking in and sitting on his lap. "Coming home to you is so much better than coming home to an empty house."

He laughed. "Of course it is. Look at me."

"Okay let's not get a big head here," she rolled her eyes. "Where's Beth?"

"With Quinn. They went to get mani-pedis then Beth begged her to take her sightseeing."

"You sure that's a good idea considering Quinn wants to take her back to Ohio?"

"Don't worry I put a tracker in Beth's bag. Being a cop comes in handy at times like this."

She shrugged. "I guess so."

"Besides I'm kind of glad she took Beth for a while. I need to tell you something."

Seeing his face and hearing the tone of his voice, Rachel frowned. "What's wrong?"

He hesitated. "So when Quinn came by earlier, she wanted to talk about an idea she had. Since both of us want custody, she thinks that I should go back to Ohio and have both of us raise Beth as a family."

She raised an eyebrow. "After everything she put you through, she wants to be together?"

"I guess so," he nodded.

"You told her no right?" When he remained silent, Rachel frowned. "Right?"

"I told her I would think about it."

"Are you serious?" she asked, getting off his lap. "From what you've told me, Quinn has been awful to you from the moment Beth was born. Why would you even consider going back to her?"

He sighed. "You know how much I wanted to give Beth a family. Quinn was offering it so I had to at least consider the idea."

"Puck it's been eight years," she rolled her eyes. "Beth is pretty used to you two being apart, I doubt she even cares."

"You weren't around when I would pick her up from school when she was younger and she would look at other kids' families and ask me why hers wasn't like theirs. She finally got so tired of hearing the answer that she just stopped asking but that doesn't mean that I don't notice the same look on her face even today. You're not a parent, you don't understand."

Realizing Puck's concern, Rachel sighed and took his hand in hers. "I do understand. You love that little girl so much and you would do anything for her, even go back to her bitch of a mother. And Quinn knows that. Do you honestly think she's doing this out of actual feelings for you?"

"Well I was getting to that part," he rolled his eyes. "I thought about it then I called my lawyer about it. He thinks that the only reason she's doing this is because she knows that with her recent actions she more than likely wouldn't get custody so she's trying to prevent me from having it."

Rachel nodded. "Sounds about right. So what are you going to do?"

He thought about it. "Before, I would try to avoid courts as much as possible. But given the crap that Quinn has put me through, I'm fighting back. If she wants to go to court we're going to court."

"That's great. I'm glad you're standing up for yourself."

"Yeah but there's something else." Before she could question it further, the doorbell rang. "That's probably Beth."

He got up and opened the door to Beth jumping in his arms. "Hi Daddy."

"Hey munchkin. Did you have fun with your mom?"

"Yes. Like my nails?" she asked, showing him.

He chuckled. "Yeah they look great. Go show Rachel."

As she ran into the room to Rachel, Quinn looked at him. "So did you think about what I said?"

"Yeah and the answer is hell no."

She frowned. "What? That was the perfect arrangement. We could both take care of Beth together as the family she's always wanted."

"Look there was a time when that was all I wanted. Even if that meant trying to work things out with you, I wanted to give Beth the family she deserved. But I got over it. I'm not in love with you anymore and while I want Beth to have a family, I also want her to see her parents happy. And being with you instead of Rachel isn't something that would make me happy."

"You would really pick some celebrity who will dump you the first chance she gets just like she did the last guy over the mother of your child?"

He smirked. "Considering everything you've put me through, Rachel is the better choice. And the most important part, I'm in love with her."

"Do you really think a judge is going to approve of you having our child living with someone like her?"

"She's a much better choice than when you lived with Sam, throwing dishes at him and constantly fighting in front of her before finally just abandoning her. I doubt a judge will approve of that but I'm sure you know that already knew that otherwise you wouldn't have come up with that idea to get back together."

Quinn stared at him in shock. Puck usually cowered at the thought of battling her for custody but this time he was standing tall and confident about the issue and even he could tell that she wasn't expecting it.

Rachel walked in and immediately noticed the tension between the two. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah Quinn was just leaving," he told her, never taking his eyes off of Quinn.

Quinn finally nodded. "Fine. Tell Beth I'll be back for her."

"I'll think about it."

She rolled her eyes before turning and walking out of the house as Rachel looked at him. "I'm guessing that didn't go well?"

"Not for her. She's just realizing I'm not her puppet anymore."

"Well what were you trying to tell me before?"

He sighed and took her hand. "The lawyer said that I have to go back to Ohio to deal with all this custody stuff. Something about some law about determining a child's custody in their home state and New York isn't Beth's home. I have to go back with Quinn."

Rachel frowned. "It can't wait until the end of the summer? You guys just got here."

"Quinn wants custody now and I can't get an emergency temporary custody order because Beth's not at risk for abuse from her. Look I'm not thrilled about having to leave either but if I want custody of Beth this is what I have to do. I promise I will try to get it done as soon as possible so I can come back."

Remembering Marley's words from earlier about being supportive, she nodded as he kissed her forehead.

"Rachel, Dad look!" they heard Beth call. They went into the living room and found her pointing at the television. "They're announcing nominations for the Star Awards."

Rachel stared at the screen as the hosts of the entertainment channel read off the names of the nominees. When they got to her category, she grabbed Puck's name. Finally, they said her name and the three jumped up in happiness.

"Congratulations babe," he smiled before kissing her. "Looks like running away didn't have any effect on your status."

"I guess not. I can't believe I did it."

"Can we come to the award show with you?" Beth asked. "I've always wanted to go to one of them."

Rachel smiled at her. "Absolutely. I would love to have you guys as my dates."

"How about celebratory ice cream?" Puck suggested. "My treat."

"Well I actually already have stuff to make a sundae so we can stay in."

"Even better," he smirked before lifting Beth up and going into the kitchen.

While Rachel was happy about her nomination, she still couldn't help but feel sad that Puck and Beth were going to be leaving. She enjoyed having them be part of her world but now that was about to be over sooner than she anticipated. But as much as Rachel hated this, she knew Puck had to deal with Quinn once and for all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later, Puck and Beth got ready to get on Rachel's private jet to go back to Ohio.

"Why do I have to go?" Beth asked sadly. "Can't I stay with Rachel while you and Mom go?"

Puck sighed. "That's just not how it works baby girl. If the judge says that you have to live with your mom then it's easier than just flying you back on your own."

"But I'll be doing that anyway when we move to New York."

He raised an eyebrow. "Who told you we were moving to New York?"

"No one," she shrugged. "I was just hoping we would."

"You want to move here? Away from your mom, your grandparents, Santana, Brittany, Tina, Mike and Finn?"

"They can always come visit, right?" she shrugged before going to talk to Quinn.

Rachel looked at him. "Unexpected?"

"Very." He looked at her. "But I can't think about that right now. I'm really going to miss waking up to you."

She gave a sad smile. "It's just temporary, right? You'll be back in my bed in no time."

He smiled back before kissing and hugging her. "I'm going to try to make this as fast as possible. Don't go running away while I'm gone."

She laughed. "Well I'll have you to at least talk to, to keep me sane."

They kissed again before Puck got on the plane. Quinn looked at him. "So nice of her to let us use her private jet. No wonder you're screwing her."

"Look it's bad enough I have to share the plane with you but I don't want to hear any shit about Rachel. Especially with Beth around."

She rolled her eyes as Beth came out of the bathroom and sat next to Puck. "Will I be able to call Rachel while we're home?"

"Of course," he nodded. "I'm sure she'd want to hear from you."

Quinn frowned and stared out the window as the plane took off. Puck noticed but didn't say anything. He knows Quinn must be realizing how much has changed since she's been gone and how much it impacted her relationship with Beth. He wanted to feel bad but at the end of the day, it was all her decision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Puck sighed as he got back in the house after a day in court. The custody issues were starting to get to him and more than anything he wished Rachel was there to make him relax.

Needing to hear her voice, he called her and after a few rings, she answered. "Hey how was it?"

"Stressful," he sighed. "Quinn is trying to pitch this angle of how she's been the primary caregiver to Beth from the day she was born so it only makes sense that she has sole custody."

"But she left her for over a month and didn't even speak to her. How does that make her the better caregiver?"

"That's what I'd like to know."

"Doesn't Beth get a say in where she wants to live?"

"Well she can't testify or anything but a judge can order an interview with her to find out her preference. But I don't even want it to get to that point. Quinn knows she hasn't been doing her job as a mom so why does she think she should have custody?"

Rachel sighed. "Well Quinn's entitled so that's no surprise. I'm sure it'll work out."

"Anyway, enough of my drama. How'd your recording session go?"

"Great. I can't wait to shoot my music video for it and I'm sure you'll love it."

"Even though you won't tell me anything about the song," he smirked.

She giggled. "I told you it was about you. You just can't hear it yet."

"Well I don't want the first time that I hear it to be when the music video comes out."

"Actually, I'm hoping you'll be back in time to be in the video with me. That way I won't have to do it with some other guy."

"Even more of a reason to try to get back as soon as possible," he replied. "Beth misses you like crazy."

"Me or New York?" she joked.

"Both. But mainly you. Tina told me that when she was watching her, Beth kept telling her that they would have to come visit us in New York when we move."

"She still thinks you're moving here?"

"Yeah even though I keep telling her nothing has been decided yet." Rachel paused and he sighed. "What?"

"When do you plan to make a decision about that? I mean you can't have keep avoiding the subject."

"I'm not avoiding it, it's just a big decision. I mean my whole life has been here, not to mention Beth's. Plus, that's another issue with custody."

"And that's all it is? It has nothing to do with me or your hesitation about us?"

"Rachel," he groaned. "You know I want to be with you. But moving across the country is a big deal especially when you have a kid to think about."

"I know, just forget it." He heard Marley call Rachel's name in the background. "I have a performance to get to, I'll talk to you later."

"Okay, break a leg," he said, trying to make her feel better.

"Thanks," she replied before hanging up.

Puck put his phone down and groaned. He understood why Rachel felt like he wasn't committing to her but he couldn't bring himself to make the decision to move to New York. He loved her but he wasn't sure if he was ready to take the risk.

 **Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 18

The next day, Beth went with Quinn to visit her grandparents while Puck went out with his friends. While he enjoyed being with Rachel, he had to admit that he really missed being with his friends.

"So tell us, what's Rachel's house like?" Tina asked. "Is it how you would imagine a celebrity like her having?"

He nodded. "Yeah pretty much. It amazed me that she didn't get lonely when she was there by herself."

"Well I'm sure she's probably lonely now that you and Beth are gone," Finn said.

"Okay can we all stop ignoring the burning issue here?" Santana asked. "Why haven't you decided to move to New York?"

Puck looked at her, confused. "What makes you think I haven't decided?"

"The fact that you haven't told us that you are for one. And you've made no official moves yet. So out with it, what's stopping you?"

"I can't uproot Beth. This has been her home since she was born, this is all she knows."

Santana rolled her eyes. "Puck the worst thing you can do is lie to someone like me because I can smell bullshit from a mile away. You can't keep using Beth like a crutch so what's the real reason?"

He sighed and looked down, realizing there was no way he was getting out of this. "What if it doesn't work out? What if none of this was meant to be? I would've uprooted my whole entire life and my kid's life for nothing. I mean come on, Rachel's this big superstar and look at me. I'm some small-town cop with a kid and a whole lot of issues. Plus, haven't you seen these Hollywood relationships? None of them last and that's with celebrities marrying celebrities. The chances of us actually working out are slim to none."

Tina frowned. "You're more than that, Puck. You're a really great father and person for that matter. Why else would Rachel choose to run to you of all places when she ran away?"

"To be fair, she was desperate at the time."

"That doesn't mean anything," Mike said. "Like you said, she's a big superstar. There are so many places in the world she could've ran away to but she chose you."

"Not to mention she broke up with a movie star for you," Brittany added. "Shouldn't that scream love?"

Puck smiled. "Thanks guys but I just don't think it's a good idea."

"Okay let's cut the crap," Santana rolled her eyes before looking at him. "You've been through hell. We can all attest to that. You've had your share of poor choices in women i.e. Quinn but now, you have this woman who makes you happier than we've ever seen you, who loves Beth and who wants to make room for both of you in her world. You deserve this, hell you've earned this. So get your head out of your ass and go for it before you ruin it."

He thought before nodding. "Thanks guys. This is great and everything, but I still have to face off with Quinn about custody and I highly doubt she's going to let me take Beth and move across the country."

"There's no way a judge can think a woman who abandoned her kid should get sole custody," Tina said. "Right?"

Puck sighed. "Guess we'll find out."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rachel sighed as she finished recording her new song and stepped out of the booth. Ever since her conversation with Puck she felt like it was only a matter of time before he called to tell her that he wasn't coming back to New York and that their relationship was over.

Marley walked over to her. "That's not a good face to have after recording your love song for Puck."

"Yeah well I might need to be recording a breakup song soon," she frowned.

"Things are getting rocky with him being back in Ohio?" she asked, sitting next to her.

"I'm starting to think that he just doesn't want to come back. Maybe I pressured him too much about it and he just decided it wasn't worth it."

"Did he say he didn't want to come back?"

Rachel shook her head. "No but he refuses to make a decision about moving to New York. He keeps using Beth as an excuse but I know it's more than that. Maybe he just doesn't want to make such a huge commitment."

"Rachel relax. He's dealing with a lot right now with the custody battle with Quinn, he's probably too busy to even think about moving right now. You just have to give him time."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of doing. The more time he has to think about it means the more time he has to realize it's not what he wants to do."

She groaned as Shelby walked in. "There you are. I've been trying to call you for days but for some reason all of my phone calls have gone to voicemail. I started thinking you-"

"Ran away again? Nope still here."

Shelby looked around. "Well where are Noah and Beth? I was hoping we'd all go to dinner or something so we can get better acquainted with each other."

"They're not here," Rachel sighed. "They're back in Ohio."

"You actually sent them home? Can't say I'm surprised but I'm glad you did. You need to focus on the Star Awards."

She shook her head in frustration. "Mom would you give it a rest? I ran away to get away from you and your obsession with my career and since I've been back you've just reminded me why I ran away in the first place and making me want to do it again. I didn't send them anywhere, Puck had to go back because Beth's mother showed up and wanted custody so he had to go back to Ohio to battle it out, completely interrupting our summer. Not that it matters anyway because it doesn't even look like he wants to come back so the last thing I need is more of your crazy obsession with my career." She paused. "As a matter of fact, you're fired. From now on, Marley is my manager."

Without another word, Rachel grabbed her purse and walked out of the studio. With everything so up in the air with Puck, the last thing she needed was her mother trying to control everything. Despite the stress, she felt about the relationship, she had to admit it felt good to finally be in control.

Back in Ohio, Puck laid across the couch and watched television as he waited for Quinn to get back with Beth. He tried calling Rachel but it kept going straight to voicemail so he dialed Marley's number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey are you with Rachel? She's not answering any of my phone calls which leads me to believe she's still pissed at me."

"Well I'm sure that's probably contributing to it but that's not her main problem. She kind of had it out with our mom earlier."

"What do you mean?" he asked, getting worried.

"Mom was being her usual controlling self and Rachel finally cracked and let her have it. She told her she was the reason she ran away and that she was fired as her manager. Now apparently that job is mine."

"Wow."

"Yeah so I'm guessing she turned her phone off. That's what she does whenever she's really stressed. And I'm sure the situation with you not wanting to come back isn't helping."

He sighed. "It's not that I don't want to come back."

"Well whatever it is you need to explain it to her because she thinks you guys are just on the road to breaking up. Which would really suck because if you heard the song she wrote for you, you'd understand why she wants you here."

"I get it Marley I really do but…" He was cut off by the doorbell ringing. "Hold on, that should be Beth."

He opened the door to Beth smiling at him. "Hi Dad. Mom said she wanted to talk to you."

He looked at Quinn who nodded before looking back at Beth. "Okay. Here, why don't you talk to Marley while I talk to her?" Beth grabbed the phone excitedly and took it inside as Puck closed the door and walked outside. "What now? Thought we weren't supposed to talk until court the day after tomorrow?"

Quinn looked down. "You can have Beth."

He looked at her in shock. "What?"

"When I took Beth to my parents' house, all she could talk about was how much she loved New York and what her first recording session was like. Then she talked about all the things you and Rachel did with her and it reminded me how sad she was to leave. It just made me realize that Beth doesn't need me. She needs you. And Rachel if things do work out with you two."

"She needs you too Quinn," he sighed. "You're still her mother, nothing can change that."

"No I know that," she nodded with tears filling her eyes. "But we both know she's better off with you. Like I said, you've had this parenting thing down from the moment she was born and I wish I would've trusted you more. I feel awful about leaving her for as long as I did with no contact and I guess going for full custody was my way of making up for it. But I can't be selfish with this. Beth deserves the best and I believe she can get that with you."

"Even if that means we move to New York fulltime?"

She nodded and wiped her tears. "If it's okay with you, I'd like to get Beth during the summer. That way, I can spend a good amount of time with her and you and Rachel can go on trips or you can go on tour with her. We can even sign off on it in court."

"You're serious about this? You won't change your mind?"

Quinn shook her head. "This is for the best. But I do have one condition."

"What?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Put Beth in a really good private music school. With her talent she deserves it, plus I'd love to fly out and see her perform."

"Yeah I don't see why not," he smiled before pulling her into a hug to her surprise. "Thank you, Quinn."

"I just don't want her to think I'm abandoning her again."

"She won't," he shook his head, pulling away. "After we make it official in court we can sit her down together and explain everything, okay?"

"Okay" she nodded. "Tell Beth I'll see her tomorrow."

"Sure. Good night, Quinn."

"Good night Puck," she smiled before walking away and getting in her car.

As she drove away, Puck smiled to himself before going inside. He couldn't believe what just happened and he wanted to jump up and in down in happiness.

When Beth noticed him, she handed him his phone. "Marley said to call her back when you get a chance."

"Okay go get ready for bed." As she went upstairs, Puck called Marley back. "Hey have you gotten in contact with Rachel yet?"

"Yeah she texted saying she was okay and just needed space. And to tell you she's sorry for ignoring you."

"Well I have something that's going to cheer her up," he smiled. "But I want it to be a surprise so I was hoping you'd help me."

"Sure just tell me what to do."

 **Story's almost over! Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 19

A week passed and Rachel hadn't spoken to her mother since their fight. With Marley busy with her new role as manager and Puck still in Ohio she felt more alone than ever. Apparently, Quinn wasn't giving in with custody so he was stuck there for a while.

As she worked on new music at home, Marley walked in. "Hey what are you doing?"

"Trying to write this song. It's about the end of a fading relationship."

Her sister frowned. "Seriously? You and Puck aren't fading, you just happen to be in a long-distance relationship right now."

"With Puck still not mentioning moving out here," Rachel pointed out. "Face it Marley, he's not coming back and we both know it. He just doesn't want to admit it."

"Rachel-"

"Can you just tell me where I'm supposed to be today?"

She sighed. "Rehearsing for your show on Saturday."

"Okay I'll go get ready so we can go," she said, getting up and going upstairs.

Once Marley made sure she was in the bathroom, she pulled out her phone and dialed Puck's number.

"Hey, how is she?" he asked. "When I called her earlier she wouldn't admit to anything being wrong."

"Well she's writing a song about the end of a fading relationship if that's any indication," she rolled her eyes.

He laughed. "It's amazing, her dramatics have gotten even worse since we were kids. But that just makes the surprise that much better."

"Yeah if she can make it that long. At this rate, she'll probably break up with you any day now."

"Doubt it. And even if she does she'll just take it back."

"Just tell me everything is still ready to go. I can't take seeing her so sad anymore."

"Everything is ready. Don't worry, she'll be back to normal soon."

"Thank goodness."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

That Saturday, Rachel was backstage getting her hair and makeup done for the show. Even though she was performing the song she wrote for Puck, her heart wasn't in it. She just wanted everything to go back to the way it was before he went back to Ohio. But she was a professional so she knew she had to put on a brave face and give a great performance.

When she looked in the mirror, she froze when she saw Shelby standing there. "Mom?"

"Marley told me you'd be performing tonight and I just wanted to watch." She paused as the hair and makeup people stepped out to give them privacy. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great but I'll manage."

"I see Noah's still not back. How is that going?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Like you care."

"Of course I care. I hate to see you unhappy."

"Really? Because you didn't have a problem with me being unhappy with Brody. Oh wait, you never even noticed because you were all about everything else."

Shelby sighed and walked over to her. "I know I haven't been the best mother. I just wanted the best for you and I wanted you to have everything because with your talent that's what you deserve. I never meant to make you feel like you had to run away to escape it all, including me."

"I do appreciate everything you've done for me. But I need you to be my mother now. Not my manager, my mom. Can you do that?"

She smiled and nodded before Rachel got up and hugged her. "But I have to ask: is everything ok between you and Noah?"

"I don't even know," she sighed. "He's still not sure if he's moving here or not and I don't know if a long-distance relationship is really going to work out."

"Well I think you should be willing to at least give it a shot. You never know, it might actually work out between you two."

"Hey are you ready?" Marley asked, walking in.

"Yeah. Are you sure I should still sing Puck's song even though he's not here?"

"Absolutely," she nodded. "Doesn't mean you can't perform it for him later when he comes back."

"Yeah I guess so." Rachel took a deep breath. "Okay let's do this."

Marley nodded and they walked towards the stage. When she got on the stage, Rachel felt the energy of the crowd and it made her feel a lot better about performing.

"Hi everyone," she smiled. "This is a new song that I wrote. It's about someone special and I'm sure you all know who it is so I hope you like it."

Everyone cheered as she started singing.

 _My words are wrapped in barbwire  
My actions speak for what I can't say  
Cuz I fall one step forward  
To push you away, push you away_

 _I wish that I could listen_  
 _To all the advice that I give away_  
 _But it's hard to see things clearly_  
 _Through all of the pain, all of the pain_

 _I'm caught in the rain, caught in the rain_

 _And my heart's too drunk to drive_  
 _I should stay away from you tonight_  
 _But in this blackout state of mind_  
 _Baby, all I want is you tonight_

 _When my head tells me "no"_  
 _My heart tells me "go"_  
 _So I'm hitting in the road cuz I_

 _I know my heart's too drunk to drive_  
 _But I'm on my way to you_  
 _Yea, I'm on my way_  
 _To you, you, to you tonight_  
 _I'm on my way to you, you_  
 _To you, I'm on my way to you_

As she sang, Rachel looked into the audience and saw Puck sitting at a table with Beth and for a minute thought she was dreaming. When she realized she wasn't, she smiled and took the microphone off the stand to move around the stage.

 _Yea, there's a million voices  
Screaming that this love's a dead-end road  
But the only voice that I hear  
Is telling me "go", telling me "go"_

 _The sun is rising sober_  
 _While passion fades and I'm on my own_  
 _My helpless heart's hung over_  
 _I'm all out of hope, all out of hope_

 _Where do we go? Where do we go?_

 _Cuz my heart's too drunk to drive  
I should stay away from you tonight  
But in this blackout state of mind  
Baby, all I want is you tonight_

 _When my head tells me "no"_  
 _My heart tells me "go"_  
 _So I'm hitting the road cuz I_

 _I know my heart's too drunk to drive_  
 _But I'm on my way to you_  
 _Yea, I'm on my way_  
 _To you, you, to you tonight_  
 _I'm on my way to you, you_  
 _To you, I'm on my way_

She walked over to where they were sitting and pulled Puck up to the stage with her to sing to him as the audience clapped.

 _And no wise words can stop me  
I'm past the point of no return  
No matter how it hurts me  
I'm running to you, running to you_

 _And my heart's too drunk to drive_  
 _I should stay away from you tonight_  
 _But in this blackout state of mind_  
 _Baby, all I want is you tonight_

 _When my head tells me "no"_  
 _My heart tells me "go"_  
 _So I'm hitting the road 'cuz I_

 _I know my heart's too drunk to drive_  
 _But I'm on my way to you_  
 _Yea, I'm on my way_  
 _To you, you, to you tonight_  
 _I'm on my way to you, you_  
 _To you, I'm on my way to you_

The audience cheered as they hugged.

"Surprise," he whispered.

When they pulled away, Rachel looked at the audience. "Well as you can see I got a little surprise. And while he's here I think he should help me sing the next song."

Everyone cheered as Puck shook his head. "No way. Definitely not prepared."

"Well good thing you have stars like me and Beth to help you," she smiled. "If you'll let her."

He looked at Beth who was smiling excitedly and nodded. "Yeah why not?"

Rachel looked at the little girl. "Beth you want to come help us?" She nodded eagerly before running up to the stage to hug Rachel as she laughed. "Everyone this is Noah's adorable daughter, Beth, and she's going to help us out."

Everyone clapped as they started singing Imagine. As they sang, Rachel couldn't keep herself from smiling at Puck and Beth. She was overjoyed that they were finally back after thinking they were never coming.

When the show was over, everyone went backstage.

"Okay so someone tell me when all this was planned," Rachel said.

"About a week ago," Puck replied. "Everything got settled with Quinn and I heard a certain someone has been missing us like crazy so I figured why not surprise you? Marley was in on it."

She looked at her sister. "You let me go crazy this past week and never said anything?"

"Hey it was worth it," Marley laughed. "And there's something else."

"We're moving to New York," Beth smiled.

Rachel's jaw dropped. "Seriously? But how?"

"Beth will be spending the summers with Quinn," he told her. "In regards to this summer, she'll get her for the second half of it while we can get things ready so I can move here."

She smiled and jumped into his arms. "That's amazing."

"Come on let's go take our seats for the next song," Shelby said.

Rachel kissed Beth's forehead and hugged Marley. "Thank you."

"It was all his idea," she whispered. "I just helped with whatever he needed."

As they walked out, Rachel looked at Puck. "I almost wish I didn't have the rest of the show to do."

He laughed. "We have time to properly celebrate later."

"So you've been lying to me all this time."

"Yeah I'm hoping you'll give me a pass. I mean, how could you not? This was a pretty awesome surprise," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I can't believe Quinn actually gave in."

"Yeah when it came time to sign off on it in court she didn't back out. She thinks Beth's better off with us and she wants us to enroll her in a private music school."

"I see no problem with that. I'm just glad to have you both back."

"Look Rachel, I don't know how any of this is supposed to work out with you being who you are and everything. But what I do know is that I love you and I want to make it work," he told her.

She looked at him in shock before smiling. "I love you too."

They kissed as they started hearing the crowd chant Rachel's name. Puck smiled at her. "Looks like your fans are calling. Go kill it."

Rachel nodded and kissed him again before rushing to get back to the stage. As she performed her next song, she couldn't help but feel like her life was starting to feel complete. Her relationship with her mom was starting to get better and Puck and Beth were finally back where they belonged: with her.

 **One more chapter left. Let me know your thoughts! Bye for now :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone! Enjoy!**

Chapter 20

Rachel sighed while she sat and had her hair and makeup done. This was the big night of the Star Awards and she really wanted to win. She had been promoting music that he had a hand in creating for the past few months and if she won, that would mean everyone is enjoying what she's been putting out.

As she sat, she smiled when Puck and Beth walked in. "Hey guys."

"Hey how are you doing?" Puck asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"I'm a nervous wreck. What if I don't win?"

"You're still great," Beth smiled. "That's why we brought you these."

When she handed Rachel flowers, Rachel smiled. "Thanks, you guys. This is great."

"I picked them out," the little girl said proudly.

"They're beautiful, Beth. I love them. Are you ready for the red carpet?"

"So ready. I've already got my poses and everything figured out."

Rachel giggled before looking at Puck. "What about you? Are you ready for the cameras?"

"Nope but I guess that what comes with being with a superstar like you."

Seeing his nervousness, she looked at her hair and makeup people. "Can you guys give us a second? Maybe start working on Beth's hair?"

They nodded and took Beth out of the room while Puck smirked. "You know Beth's been dreaming about getting the superstar treatment right?"

"Exactly why I decided she should have it now. Plus, I wanted to talk to you to make sure everything's okay."

"Yeah why wouldn't it be?" When Rachel raised an eyebrow in disbelief, he sighed. "Okay maybe I'm a little nervous about all of this. Like you've said, tabloids can be brutal so who knows what they have to say about me."

"Who cares? They don't know you so who cares what they think?"

"Easy for you to say. You're used to this kind of thing."

She sighed before sitting in his lap. "Well you've gotten through these past few months being in the tabloids so tonight shouldn't be a problem. You can do this and you're going to look great. Especially with me and Beth on your arms."

"Good thing you weren't nominated for modesty," he smirked before kissing her. "Okay let's go see what they've done to Beth."

When they went into the other room, they laughed at Beth getting the superstar treatment with her hair. When she was finished, the little girl looked at them.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"Like you should be accepting an award tonight," Rachel smiled.

"Do you think I'll ever get there?"

"Absolutely," Puck replied. "After all, you'll be going to one of the best music schools in New York so you'll have the best teachers to help get you there."

Beth smiled as they finished getting ready. When the time came, they left to go to the awards. When they approached the red carpet, Rachel felt Puck tense up and took his hand to calm him down. When he looked at her, he smiled and nodded before they walked onto the carpet.

"Rachel!" one of the paparazzi called. "Rachel are these your dates for the evening?"

She smiled. "Yes they are. My boyfriend, Noah Puckerman, and his daughter, Beth. They're the best dates I could ask for."

As more of the paparazzi called for their attention to take their pictures, Puck and Rachel laughed at how much of a natural Beth was in front of the cameras. The little girl wasn't nervous at all, making Puck feel a lot better about being there.

When they finally took their seats, they watched the show carry on. Puck couldn't get over how he was actually at an award show like this but he couldn't deny that it felt nice to be shown off.

"And now for Best Artist of the Year," one of the celebrities smiled before listing all of the nominees. Rachel grabbed Puck and Beth's hands as they waited. "And the winner is…Rachel Berry!"

Her jaw dropped as everyone burst into cheers. She kissed Puck and hugged Beth before making her way to the stage.

"I cannot believe this is happening," she said into the microphone. "After the year I've had I just did not think I would be receiving this award so thank you to all my fans. I'd like to thank my team for all of their help and for being there for all of my crazy. I'd like to thank my mom and my sister for believing in me and helping me get this far. And I'd also like to thank the two newest additions in my life, Noah and Beth. You two are my calm in this crazy storm of fame. I am so happy I found you guys and I cannot wait to see what else life has in store for us. I love you both, thank you so much."

Everyone cheered as she left the stage. When she finally made it back to her seat, Puck hugged her and kissed her on her forehead as they watched the rest of the show. When everything was over, everyone went back to Rachel's house to celebrate her win.

"To the best superstar this city has ever seen," Marley smiled as they held up their glasses.

They all toasted to this before taking a sip as Puck looked at Beth, who was drinking cranberry juice. "Okay munchkin, after you finish go upstairs and make sure you have everything together for tomorrow."

"Okay," she nodded.

"Beth how long will you be leaving us for?" Shelby asked.

"Until August. My mom is going to take me to the beach."

"Well make sure you take lots of pictures for us," Marley told her.

"I would but I don't have anything to take pictures with," the little girl frowned.

"Well I don't know about that," Rachel smiled before pulling out a gift bag from under the sink. "I might've gone out and got you a little going away present."

Beth excitedly opened the bag and pulled out a digital camera. "I love it." She ran to hug Rachel. "Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome. Like Marley said make sure you take some good pictures for us."

"I will," she smiled.

"Okay Beth why don't you go pack it away so you know you have it," Puck told her. She nodded and went upstairs as he looked at Rachel. "You know you're showing me up here right?"

Rachel laughed. "And how is that?"

"I'm supposed to be the parent that gives great gifts," he joked. "Now I have to compete with you."

"Something tells me you'll always be the winner to Beth," she smiled.

"So where exactly is Quinn taking her?" Marley asked.

"California," Puck replied. "I told her how Beth hasn't been to a beach yet this summer so she figured that's what they can do. I think it'll be just them for a few days then Quinn's parents will come join them."

"Either way she'll have fun before she has to come back for school," Rachel added.

"It's great that you guys worked everything out with Quinn and can co-parent with her," Shelby told them.

Puck shrugged. "At the end of the day Beth needs all of us. My kid deserves a family and that's exactly what I'm going to give her."

Rachel smiled at him and put her head on his shoulder as they began talking about what the rest of the summer holds for them. When they went to bed that night, Rachel couldn't help but cozy up to Puck to sleep in his arms like she's been doing ever since he and Beth came back. She didn't want to go back to how it was before he came back to her and she didn't plan on him ever leaving again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, Puck, Rachel and Beth flew to Ohio. Quinn greeted them after they landed.

"Mom!" Beth smiled as she ran to her.

"We weren't expecting you to be here," Puck said.

"Well I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this one so I figured I could surprise you guys," Quinn replied. "Congratulations on your win, Rachel."

"Thank you," Rachel smiled.

"Mom did you see me? Did you see my dress?" Beth asked eagerly.

Quinn nodded. "I did and you looked beautiful. Makes me look forward to when you become a big star then you can take all of us to one of those shows."

Smiling at their interaction, Puck grabbed Beth's bags from the flight attendant. "Well here's everything. I hope you two have a lot of fun."

"We will."

Beth hugged him. "I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, baby girl," he said, kissing her hair. "We'll miss you."

When she pulled away, she went and hugged Rachel. "I love you, Rachel."

"I love you too," she smiled. They pulled away and Beth turned and walked away with Quinn as Rachel looked at Puck. "Just breathe, she'll be back at the end of the summer."

"I know. And I'll be counting down the days." He took her hand. "Let's go."

They got in the car that was waiting for them and went to a house. As they got out of the car, the door flew open.

"They're finally here!" Santana yelled as they walked up the driveway.

Puck smirked. "We told you we had to send Beth with Quinn first."

"Yeah whatever," she rolled her eyes as they walked in the house.

"You guys looked great at the awards last night," Tina said as they sat in the living room.

"Yeah, I can't believe you got Puck in a suit for the whole night," Mike added.

Puck laughed. "I've worn suits before."

"You wouldn't even stay in your suit for Mike and Tina's wedding," Finn smirked.

Brittany nodded. "Yeah you changed into a t-shirt and jeans after all the pictures were taken."

Everyone laughed at the memory as Santana grinned. "Maybe he'll stay in his suit at his own wedding."

Rachel felt her heart stop at the sound of marriage. She and Puck had been together for a while and were living together so she never really thought about marriage. When she looked at him, she knew he could tell what she was thinking.

As everyone sat around and talked, Rachel got up and went to the kitchen to make herself a drink. While she was pouring a glass, Puck walked in.

"My friends have driven you to drink," he joked.

She laughed. "For one, I think they're just as much my friends now as they are yours but yes they have."

He laughed before pouring himself a glass. "So about that whole wedding comment. Have you thought about it?"

"Not really. I mean I guess I've gotten so used to how things are with us now that I never thought about having an official ceremony to officiate anything."

Puck hesitated. "Would it be something you want? Getting married?"

She thought for a moment. "When it's right and we're ready, yes. What do you think?"

He smiled before leaning in and kissing her. "I think I couldn't think of a better person to spend the rest of my life with but you."

She smiled back and kissed him again before going back to their friends. Marriage would happen for them someday but until then, they were happy just enjoying what they had and the life they were slowly creating for themselves. As long as they had each other to run to, everything would be okay.

 **That's the end! Hope you enjoyed reading and please be on the lookout for more stories. Bye for now :)**


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